UN Body Criticises US on Marijuana Legalization
A UN illegal drugs body has criticised 2012 moves in two US states to legalise recreational use of marijuana.
In a new report, the International Narcotics Control Board urged the US federal government to ensure anti-drug treaties were “fully implemented on the entirety of its territory”.
It also said Afghanistan’s response to record levels of land being used to produce opium poppies was lacking.
The board also warned that use of the drug ecstasy could rise in Europe, says BBC News.
The International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) was established in the 1960s to monitor UN nations’ adherence to treaties on the control of narcotic drugs.
Broken treaty
In the group’s latest report, INCB president Raymond Yans said that the organisation remained concerned about initiatives around the world which aimed to legalise the recreational use of cannabis.
He said new laws approved by voters in 2012 in two US states, Colorado and Washington State, “contravene the provisions of the drug control conventions, which limit the use of cannabis to medical and scientific use only”.
“INCB urges the government of the United States to ensure that the treaties are fully implemented on the entirety of its territory.”
