Convention on Psychotropic Substances
| Convention on Psychotropic Substances
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| Title (engl.): | Convention on psychotropic substances |
| Date: | February 21, 1971 |
| Come into effect: | August 16, 1976 |
| Reference: | Chapter VI Treaty 16 UNTS |
| Reference (German): | SR 0.812.121.02 |
| Contract type: | Multinational |
| Legal matter: | Narcotics |
| Signing: | 34 |
| Ratification : | 183 (current status) (PDF; 90 kB)
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| Germany: | December 2, 1977 (ratification) |
| Liechtenstein: | November 24, 1999 (ratification) |
| Austria: | June 23, 1997 (ratification) |
| Switzerland: | April 22, 1996 (ratification) |
| Please note the note on the applicable contract version . | |
The Convention on Psychotropic Substances is a United Nations agreement on the control of psychotropic substances such as amphetamines , barbiturates and LSD .
During the 1960s, drug use increased worldwide - especially in the western industrialized countries. However, most of the newly emerged hallucinogens were not covered by the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs . This only extended to drugs such as cannabis , cocaine and opium .
On February 21, 1971, representatives of the participating countries signed the Convention on Psychotropic Substances in Vienna in order to curb private consumption and to regulate their use for scientific and medical purposes. It covered almost every known mind-altering substance and came into effect on August 16, 1976.
In order to implement the agreement, many laws were passed in the signatory states which, like the agreement itself, divided drugs into different groups. For example the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 in Great Britain , the Psychotropic Substances Act 1978 in the USA or the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act 1996 in Canada .
Regulations to prevent international drug trafficking are contained in the United Nations Convention against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances from 1988.
The Explanatory Notes to the Agreement, published in 1976, were written by Adolf Lande under the direction of the Legal Affairs Division of the UN Secretariat.
history
International control over narcotics began with the first International Opium Conference in 1912, which regulated the manufacture, import, export and sale of morphine , cocaine and their salts . In the course of the following years, under the leadership of the League of Nations, additional agreements were signed, gradually expanding the list of controlled substances and transferring control of compliance with the agreement to the Narcotics Control Council. These executive functions were transferred to the United Nations after it was founded.
In 1961 the standard convention on narcotics was passed, which summarized the existing drug treaties and added cannabis to the list of illegal plants. In order to take pharmaceutical interests into account, the agreement only focused on the drugs listed in the annex and those with similar effects.
During the 1960s, the consumption of the previously insignificant hallucinogens increased. This development was promoted, among other things, by the writings and self-experiments of Aldous Huxley and Timothy Leary , who saw the consumption of these substances, also known as psychedelics , as a way to develop mentally. Classic hallucinogens such as mescaline , psilocybin , which had only been known since the late 1950s, or (semi) synthetic LSD were legally available in most countries at the time.
In 1968 the UN Economic and Social Council passed a resolution to restrict the use of such drugs to scientific and medical purposes and to impose restrictions on imports and exports. The measures were justified with reports of serious health risks from the use of LSD and similar hallucinogens. In the same year, the UN General Assembly called on the Economic and Social Council, through the Narcotics Commission, to address the situation of abuse of still uncontrolled, psychotropic substances and to examine ways of bringing the substances in question under international control.
While the use of stimulants continued to rise sharply around 1969, the UN Economic and Social Council considered the Commission unable to reach an agreement on the application of the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs to those substances.
The standard convention on narcotic drugs was written in such a way that it could not be applied to those drugs. A new agreement with a broader list of substances was necessary in order to be able to control consumption internationally. Using the single agreement as a template, the commission drafted an agreement which was subsequently submitted to all member states of the United Nations. The Secretary-General of the United Nations called a meeting in early 1971 to finalize the treaty.
In the meantime, various countries have already started to adapt their legislation in accordance with the treaty. In 1969 Canada added a fourth section to the Food and Drugs Act , which also placed the substances LSD , DMT and MDA under federal control.
In 1970, the US made a major overhaul of its existing drug laws by passing the Controlled Substances Act , which was amended by the Psychotropic Substances Act in 1978 . This in turn made it possible to update the list of substances in the international agreement if the Commission so requests in the future. Many other countries followed suit, including Great Britain , which passed the 1971 Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 .
The conference took place on January 11, 1971. The participating countries were split into two factions with different interests. According to a report by the Canadian Senate, there were industrialized countries with an influential pharmaceutical industry on the one hand, and developing countries on the other. States that suffered economically from the restrictions of the Single Agreement on cannabis, coca and opium spoke out in favor of strict regulations on synthetic drugs. States in which synthetic drugs were produced rejected such restrictions. In the end, however, the lobby of the developing countries did not go against the interests of the pharmaceutical industry, which meant that the international provisions at the time the commission was concluded on February 21 were considerably weaker than those of the single agreement.
The introduction of the convention represented a milestone in the development of global drug control. From numerous individual provisions on the traffic-related use of opium, a comprehensive set of regulations had developed over the course of 59 years, which includes almost every substance that changes mindsets.
Controlled Substance Lists
The full list is available on the International Narcotics Control Board website
The list contains four tables of controlled substances. The most strictly regulated substances can be found in Table I. The extent of the control gradually decreases with the further tables. A list of psychotropic substances and corresponding tables was added in the 1971 treaty.
- Table I contains drugs classified as particularly dangerous, the consumption of which poses a significant health risk and whose therapeutic value is considered to be of minor to useless. It contains hallucinogens such as the semi-synthetic LSD and the naturally occurring DMT. Cannabis, which is now considered to have proven therapeutic benefits in some diseases, was originally included in this category.
- Table II includes stimulants with limited therapeutic utility such as amphetamines and phencyclidine .
- Table III lists barbiturates with strong to moderate effects that have often been abused but have also been used therapeutically. Pain relievers such as buprenorphine are also listed here.
- Table IV contains narcotics, sedatives ( benzodiazepines ) and pain relievers , which, although they have a certain potential for dependence, are widely used therapeutically.
According to a 1999 report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime , Table I can be clearly distinguished from the three other tables. While Table I lists mostly illegally produced, hallucinogenic drugs such as LSD, the other three tables mainly contain legally produced drugs. According to the UNODC report, the controls on substances in Table I are stricter than originally provided for in the single agreement. However, this claim was contradicted by the reports of the Canadian Senate in 2002 and the European Parliament in 2003.
Ingestion of a substance
Article 2 explains a procedure by which additional drugs are included in the tables. As a result, the World Health Organization must first assess whether the drug is eligible by assessing whether the criteria set out in Article 2, Section 4 apply to that substance.
The World Health Organization then prepared an assessment of the substance over
- Extent or likelihood of abuse,
- Accountability for general health and social problems and
- the therapeutic benefit of the substance.
The final decision on the assignment of a substance is made by the Narcotics Commission on the basis of the assessments of the World Health Organization, the assessment of which should be decisive in medical and scientific questions, taking into account economic and social aspects. A similar process takes place to remove a substance from the list or to move it into another table. An example of this was the recommendation during the 33rd meeting of the World Health Organization's Panel on Drug Addiction to move tetrahydrocannabinol to Table IV because of its medicinal utility and low abuse potential.
Ultimately, only the UN Economic and Social Council is authorized to change the classification of the substances.
In the event of a dispute over the classification of a substance, a party may submit a written objection to the Secretary-General of the United Nations in accordance with Article 2, § 7, within 180 days of the Commission's decision. This allows countries to comply with the agreement with less stringent restrictions.
The American Controlled Substances Act explains that it is sufficient to classify a drug in Tables IV or V in order to meet the minimum requirements listed under Section 7, Section 2 of the agreement [21 USC Section 811 (d) (4)].
The clause calls for a drug to be put provisionally under federal control if the agreement so requires. In 1984 it was applied to the sleeping pill flunitrazepam . Long before its abuse was established as a drug in the United States, flunitrazepam was added to the table of the Convention on Psychotropic Substances, which meant that the American government had to add flunitrazepam to Table IV of the Controlled Substances Act in order to meet the requirements.
By March 2005, 111 substances were under the control of the international agreement.
World Health Organization assessments of specific substances
Ephedrine
In 1998 the inclusion of ephedrine on the list of monitored substances was up for debate. The Dietary Supplement Safety and Science Coalition fought against the project and emphasized the historical aspects of the drug and its harmless effects. Ephedrine is not a substance controlled by US law and should not be placed under international control. After two years of discussion, the Expert Committee on Drug Dependence decided against the regulation of ephedrine. However, the substance was listed by the Narcotics Commission and the Narcotics Control Council as a precursor to the substances in Table I in the United Nations Convention against the Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances , which does not require the consent of the World Health Organization.
Ketamine
The Expert Committee on Drug Dependence considered regulating ketamine at its 33rd meeting . Although several countries restrict the use of ketamine, it is not subject to international control because of its use in veterinary medicine .
MDMA
When MDMA and ecstasy were evaluated during the 22nd meeting, there were objections from doctors who wanted to further research the drug for therapeutic purposes. The United Nations has been pressured by the US government to bring the drug under control for mass seizures. According to Paul Grof , chairman of the Expert Committee, international controls were not yet justified and the classification of the substance should be postponed until all pending research has been completed.
The Expert Committee then concluded that the substance should be classified in Table I due to insufficient evidence regarding the therapeutic benefit. However, the report recommended further research with MDMA.
Methcathinone
Around 1994, the US government announced to the United Nations Secretary-General that it welcomed the inclusion of methcathinone in Table I. It is a stimulant found in common household products. The Food and Drug Administration report highlighted the dangers of the drug as well as burns to fingers caused by potassium permanganate , which have been seen on numerous occasions among dependent users in Russia. The substance was not defended by the pharmaceutical industry lobby and was therefore included in Table I without objection.
nicotine
Traditionally, the United Nations has shown itself unwilling to bring nicotine and other approved drugs under control, as these are usually anchored in the lifestyle of many people. Dr. Gabriel Nahas of Columbia University noted in a narcotics report announcement:
“Some addictive drugs such as nicotine or caffeine (in moderate amounts) and alcohol (in small amounts) do not produce any measurable symptoms of neuropsychological toxicity. Some pharmacologists have associated the symptoms of neuropsychological toxicity with behavioral toxicity, which include in addition: suppression of normal anxiety, reduction in motivation and non-purposive or inappropriate behavior. However, the latter be-behavioral symptoms do not present 'markers' which may be measurable in societies accepting as 'normal' a wide range of life styles. "
“Some addictive drugs like nicotine or caffeine (in moderate amounts) and alcohol (in small amounts) do not produce measurable symptoms of neuropsychological toxicity. Some pharmacologists assign the symptoms of neuropsychological toxins to the symptoms of behavioral toxins. This also includes reduced feelings of fear, loss of motivation and aimless or inappropriate behavior. However, the last-mentioned behavior-related symptoms cannot be described as serious, but socially accepted as a lifestyle and 'normal'. "
Nonetheless, the Technical Committee considered controlling nicotine, with particular attention to products such as chewing gum , plasters , nasal sprays and inhalers . Ultimately, however, the United Nations left it unchecked nicotine. Rather, the handling of nicotine products has been handled even more freely since then. For example, nicotine chewing gum has been classified as an OTC drug in the United States .
Web links
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This article is based on the translation of the English Wikipedia article, en: Convention on Psychotropic Substances , version dated August 11, 2006 .
Individual evidence
- ↑ International Narcotics Control Board: List of psychotropic substances under international control ( Memento of August 31, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) 23rd edition, August 2003