United Nations: Colo. & Wash. state legal pot violates international drug treaties

[key2thecup]

UN: Colo., Wash. legal pot violates drug treaties

A United Nations-based drug agency urged the United States government on Tuesday to challenge the legalization of marijuana for recreational use in Colorado and Washington, saying the state laws violate international drug treaties.

A United Nations-based drug agency urged the United States government on Tuesday to challenge the legalization of marijuana for recreational use in Colorado and Washington, saying the state laws violate international drug treaties.

The International Narcotics Control Board made its appeal in an annual drug report. It called on Washington, D.C., to act to "ensure full compliance with the international drug control treaties on its entire territory."

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said last week that he was in the last stages of reviewing the Colorado and Washington state laws. Holder said he was examining policy options and international implications of the issue. Marijuana is illegal under federal law.

The federal government could sue the states over legalization or decide not to mount a court challenge. Washington and Colorado became the first states to pass laws legalizing the recreational use of marijuana in last fall's elections.

"The entire international system is based on countries respecting the rules, and there's a broad fabric of international treaties that are part and parcel to that," said David Johnson, the U.S. delegate to the Vienna-based board.

The control board is the independent monitoring body for the implementation of United Nations drug control conventions. Its head, Raymond Yans, also called on Holder to challenge the laws soon after voters in both states approved them in November.

The director of the Open Society Foundations' Global Drug Policy Program, Kasia Malinowska-Sempruch, blamed repressive drug laws for millions of arrests and called on the United Nations General Assembly to reconsider its approach when it holds a special session on drugs in 2016.

The U.N. report also cited prescription drug abuse as a continuing problem as well as the emergence of so-called designer drugs that are engineered to fall out of the scope of existing drug controls.

http://seattletimes....dwritethru.html

[literaphile]

Oh well. International treaties are basically unenforceable anyway, unless they're actually adopted as local laws.

[Captain Aerosex]

Well you can frack right off, UN.

[Magikal]

Why should a bunch of representatives from every other corner of the globe have any flipping say in what happens in Colorado and Washington's back yards? Especially when THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE THERE voted in favour of the legalization. Stick your treaties up your arse.

[key2thecup]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_KaHBoMZFg

[Wetcoaster]

This has been discussed at length in the past. And since the US has dual jurisdiction over drug crime unlike Canada which is purely federal - there is state law and federal law and federal law is paramount so there is a binding international treaty obligation obligation upon the federal government to enforce criminal sanctions.

Legalization is contrary to the international agreements to which the USA is signatory (the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, the 1971 Convention on Psychotropic Substances, and the 1988 United Nations Convention Against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances) which inter alia prohibits cultivation and trade of naturally-occurring drugs such as cannabis and requires states to criminalize illicit drug possession (including marijuana).

The Convention Against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances requires its Parties to establish criminal penalties for possession of drugs prohibited under the Single Convention for recreational use. If a nation wished to completely legalize marijuana, it would have to withdraw from the treaties. And remember these provisions about marijuana exist because of intense pressure by the US of A to include them in the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs and it has been the US of A which has been providing the most funds and resources to the International Narcotics Control Board for the War on Drugs.

[Wetcoaster]

Oh well. International treaties are basically unenforceable anyway, unless they're actually adopted as local laws.

[etsen3]

Why should a bunch of representatives from every other corner of the globe have any flipping say in what happens in Colorado and Washington's back yards? Especially when THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE THERE voted in favour of the legalization. Stick your treaties up your arse.

[DeNiro]

The UN has no power over state laws like this.

The US is obviously trying to find some way to reverse legalization before it is proven to be a good thing, and starts spreading to other states.

[Mr. Ambien]

They should take the UN's advice when the UN becomes useful and relevant.

[Scott Hartnell's Mane]

**** off, United Nations. Just **** right off. *cloud of smoke*...frack your drug treaties...frack your swiss cheese reasoning and frack your shortsightedness. Cannabis would save this planet...hemp would save this planet...marijuana would save this planet...if people would allow it to. All these people who claim to be god-fearing in these governmental and positions like the United Nations...why don't you take a look at Genesis 1:29: "And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat." Ok...see...there's a great little word in that...that reads ALL. Not some...not most...not all but one...ALL. Cannabis is proven to have medicinal properties, hemp seeds have the highest level of protein of any seed known to mankind...and hemp fibers can be used to manufacture clothing, keeping everyone clothed, fed and sicknesses treated. Someone needs to give me one good reason...someone in government...anyone who can see something here that I can't...because there exists not one SINGLE viable argument on why cannabis remains illegal in this country. NONE.

[literaphile]

So in the result Congress has the supreme power to legislate in respect of marijuana for all purposes and override state law. And given the international drug treaties and conventions they have a binding obligation to do so.

[Dazzle]

The UN is a useless organization - marginally better than the League of Nations in many aspects.

Too much political pandering that the very members within it reduce its intended effect.

A purpose of The UN was reduce global tensions - but there are more wars under the UN than ever before. The UN serves as a janitorial role but the problems never truly go away. Look at China & Africa. China has veto power. Nothing you do in Africa can be done without China - because of their purchased oil fields.

The War in Iraq was "started" by the US, against the UN's wishes. What was the UN going to do? Nuke the US? North Korea doesn't respect the UN either.

Look at Syria, Egypt - UN just watches helplessly.

Now, it wants to influence laws in another country? I guess that one-state government thing isn't entirely bat crazy after all.

[Armada]

Who cares? Not like the UN actually DOES anything.

[Jägermeister]

And 77 years later Refer Madness is still having an effect.

[RUPERTKBD]

**** off, United Nations. Just **** right off. *cloud of smoke*...frack your drug treaties...frack your swiss cheese reasoning and frack your shortsightedness. Cannabis would save this planet...hemp would save this planet...marijuana would save this planet...if people would allow it to. All these people who claim to be god-fearing in these governmental and positions like the United Nations...why don't you take a look at Genesis 1:29: "And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat." Ok...see...there's a great little word in that...that reads ALL. Not some...not most...not all but one...ALL. Cannabis is proven to have medicinal properties, hemp seeds have the highest level of protein of any seed known to mankind...and hemp fibers can be used to manufacture clothing, keeping everyone clothed, fed and sicknesses treated. Someone needs to give me one good reason...someone in government...anyone who can see something here that I can't...because there exists not one SINGLE viable argument on why cannabis remains illegal in this country. NONE.

[hsedin33]

Ooo, careful, the UN might write you a letter.

[ronthecivil]

Hey Scott, stop beating around the bush, man. Tellus what you really think.

Seriously, it looks like the US has a bit of a problem here. From what I can tell, it's either witdraw from the treaty, which would look pretty bad since they're one of the driving forces behind it, or tell the states they're SOL...

[Dazzle]

Hey Scott, stop beating around the bush, man. Tellus what you really think.

Seriously, it looks like the US has a bit of a problem here. From what I can tell, it's either witdraw from the treaty, which would look pretty bad since they're one of the driving forces behind it, or tell the states they're SOL...

[Perfect From Now On]

Not much the UN can do, but it will be interesting to see how the US Federal Government handles the situation.

As for the international treaties, as already said by a few they are kind of meaningless since they cannot be enforced. Portugal has signed all three mentioned by Wetcoaster and has broken the agreement on them all by decriminalizing all drugs with no repercussions (though there is mounting data on the benefits of decriminalization, and by extension possibly legalization).