The United Nations has voted to remove cannabis from its list of dangerous drugs in a move that has been welcomed locally.
It sees marijuana being classed as a medicine after more than 60 years on the UN’s dangerous drugs list.
“It’s a step that people in the industry have wanted the UN to do for a while,” said CEO of the House of Green, Paul Smith.
The House of Green is a local business preparing for a future cannabis industry in Guernsey. They focus on cannabis cultivation and extraction for medicinal purposes.
“It’s a good step,” said Mr Smith, “what it really means is that you can now use cannabis-derived products in the medicinal world, especially in research.”
Pictured: Medicinal cannabis has been legal in Guernsey since July 2019, however there are currently no medical practices prescribing it.
The decision will not have any immediate impact on the legality of cannabis in any jurisdiction; however, since many countries look to the UN for guidance, it could pave the way for more relaxed laws in the future.
“Anything done by the UN is good, because it helps other nations justify changes to their own legislation,” said Mr Smith.
Locally, Home Affairs has promised an “open and transparent” process for reviewing the laws around the possession of drugs such as cannabis.
Pictured top: Cannabis is a class B drug in Guernsey and possessions is an imprisonable offence.
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