Context: Recently, he UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) decided to remove cannabis from Schedule IV of the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs.
About

• India has voted with the majority at the United Nations to remove cannabis and cannabis resin from the list of most dangerous substances.
• From the past 59 years, cannabis had been subject to the strictest control schedules, which even discouraged its use for medical purposes.

Background: Back in January 2019, the World Health Organisation (WHO) made six recommendations related to the scheduling of cannabis in UN treaties, including the deletion of cannabis and cannabis resin from Schedule IV of the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, 1961.

• Schedule IV is the category of drugs that are considered to have “particularly dangerous properties” in comparison to other drugs.
• During the CND’s March 2019 session, many countries had requested more time to study the endorsements and define their positions.

Significance of the move

• It is listed alongside opioids like heroin – which are discouraged from even being used for medicinal purposes.
• This vote has opened the door to recognizing the medicinal and therapeutic potential of cannabis.

What is Cannabis?

• Cannabis is a generic term used to denote the several psychoactive preparations of the plant Cannabis sativa. 
• The major psychoactive constituent in cannabis is Delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).
• The Mexican name ‘marijuana‘ is frequently used in referring to cannabis leaves or other crude plant material in many countries.
• Most species of cannabis are dioecious plants that can be identified as either male or female.
• The unpollinated female plants are called hashish. 
• Cannabis oil (hashish oil) is a concentrate of cannabinoids obtained by solvent extraction of the crude plant material or the resin.
• Cannabis is the most widely cultivated, trafficked and abused illicit drug in the world.

Uses

• It has been found useful in cancer treatment like in multiple myeloma.
• Many people suffering from anxiety and depression are known to buy it legally in the US and bring it back to India for personal use in small quantities.

Affects

• Cannabis impairs cognitive development (capabilities of learning), including associative processes, free recall of previously learned items is often impaired when cannabis is used both during learning and recall periods.

Cannabis in the context of India 

• In India, cannabis, also known as bhang, ganja, charas or hashish, is typically eaten (bhang golis, thandai, pakoras, lassi, etc.) or smoked (chillum or cigarette). 
• Ayurvedic texts refer to cannabis as a treatment for several maladies, and it is categorised as Upavisha Varga (sub poisonous), and its recreational use has been described as toxic.
• Odisha is one of the leading cannabis-producing States in India.

Legal Provisions in the context of India

• The Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985 (NDPS Act) outlaws the recreational use of cannabis. 
• Under the Act, the production, manufacture, possession, sale, purchase, transport, and use of cannabis is a punishable offence.
• The NDPS Act, however, does not apply to the leaves and seeds of cannabis plants.
• In case the CBD is extracted from the leaves of the cannabis, then technically it is not illegal. 
• CBD oil manufactured under a licence issued by the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940 can be legally used. 
• The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) is vested with the power to charge individuals in cases related to the illegal use and supply of narcotics.
• However, the use of cannabis as a medicine is not much prevalent in India.

About the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND)

• The Vienna-based CND was founded in 1946.
• It is the UN agency mandated to decide on the scope of control of substances by placing them in the schedules of global drug control conventions.
• Currently, over 50 countries allow medicinal cannabis programmes, and its recreational use has been legalised in Canada, Uruguay and 15 states of the USA.

Road Ahead

• It’s important to make a distinction between legalization, decriminalization and commercialization.
• While legalization and decriminalization are mostly used in a legal context, commercialization relates to the business side of things.
• For India to liberalise its policy on cannabis, it should ensure that there are enough protections for children, the young, and those with severe mental illnesses, who are most vulnerable to its effects.