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The history of cannabis and international control

How cannabis was included in the UN drug control system and the defections that have brought the international treaties to breaking point

This timeline draws on The Rise and Decline of Cannabis Prohibition, a report that described the history of international control, how cannabis was included in the current UN drug control system and the subsequent defections by countries and states that have brought the international treaties to breaking point. TNI is calling for a revision of the treaties to be based on scientific evidence and embodying principles of harm reduction and human rights.
Cannabis in Indonesia

Patterns in consumption, production, and policies

Dania Putri & Tom Blickman

Drug Policy Briefing Nr. 44
January 2016

Cannabis use has never posed major problems in Indonesia, yet prohibitionist policies prevail. Despite the high prevalence of cannabis use, local or national discussions on cannabis policies are nearly non-existent, exacerbated by strong anti-drug views and public institutions' failure to design and implement comprehensive policies based on evidence. Because of the current anti-narcotics law – discussed in detail in this briefing – there have been many obstacles to research on cannabis, both in terms of medical and anthropological research.

Download the briefing (PDF) | Bahasa Indonesia

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The Rise and Decline of Cannabis Prohibition

The History of Cannabis in the UN Drug Control System and Options For Reform

Dave Bewley-Taylor Tom Blickman Martin Jelsma

Transnational Institute / Global Drug Policy Observatory
March 2014

The cannabis plant has been used for spiritual, medicinal and recreational purposes since the early days of civilization. In this report the Transnational Institute and the Global Drug Policy Observatory describe in detail the history of international control and how cannabis was included in the current UN drug control system. Cannabis was condemned by the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs as a psychoactive drug with “particularly dangerous properties” and hardly any therapeutic value.

Download the report (PDF 5MB)
Résumé en français (PDF)
Download the press release (PDF)

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