India voted in favour of rescheduling cannabis as a less dangerous drug, giving hope to weed activists and entrepreneurs about the perception of this “drug” changing.
In a highly-anticipated vote held on December 2, the United Nations Commission for Narcotic Drugs reclassified cannabis as a less dangerous drug. The historic vote
removed cannabis from the Schedule IV category, where it was listed alongside dangerous and highly addictive opioids like heroin. The plant, that has been widely acknowledged for its healing and therapeutic properties, has finally been accepted for its medicinal value, even though it still remains a banned drug for non-medical use under UN law. 53 countries were involved in this historic vote, with 27 voting in favour of rescheduling cannabis. India was one of them.
As a signatory to the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs , anyone caught peddling, scoring or smoking weed could be arrested in India under the obligatory 1985 Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS). But while the way forward is still foggy, experts believe this historic vote could spark social acceptance and a wider framework when it comes to policing pot users.