U.N. call for ban on cannabis

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33778, 26 February 1975, Page 17

U.N. call for ban on cannabis

(N.Z. Press Association-Copyright I GENEVA, February 25. Cannabis is a dangerous drug, and its use should continue to be outlawed, the United Nations International Narcotics Control Board suggests.

It has unanimously passed a resolution calling for continued efforts to stop the sale and use of the drug.

A non-voting observer from; the Netherlands expressed the only opposition, saying that! repressive measures should! be restricted to traffickers in cannabis and not be applied to users who found therapeutic value in the drug. The issue was raised because several governments had said that they were considering dropping the prosecution of cannabis-users and concentrating police and legal efforts against users of the so-called harder drugs, mainly heroin.

That type of leniency was not explicity defended by a single representative in Geneva, but was violently attacked bv five countries— West Germany, France, Sweden, Switzerland and Togo—who were later joined i in their stand by Australia, I

Egypt, India, the Soviet Union and Jugoslavia.

“There can be no doubt about the harmful character lof cannabis,” the board said '“lt, and its derivatives, no [longer have their earlier [therapeutic role, and are the I most frequently-used illegal drugs.”

The resolution also said that all possible steps should be taken to “treat, readapt and re-educatc” users of cannabis.

In its resolution, the board emphasised that if restrictions on cannabis, and other I drugs based on it, were relaxed in one region, that could become an important supply source and base for Illicit traffic of the drugs into other area*.