Coca review denouement: The UN drug scheduling system in dispute. Despite finding no evidence of meaningful public health harms, the WHO has decided to uphold the UN ban on coca leaf. www.tni.org/en/article/c...

#CND69 starts next Monday. The era of quiet consensus in Vienna is far gone, with geopolitics bleeding into drug policy debates. The outcome of those five days in Vienna will shape funding, laws and policies. Our webinar unpacks it for civil society:

CND 69: Key issues and opportunities

The webinar will discuss the key issues that are likely to structure the debates, including in relation to tabled resolutions, and present how IDPC member organisations have used this forum for their advocacy.

bit.ly

Coca review denouement: The UN drug scheduling system in dispute TNI Statement to the #CND69 about the WHO coca review, that recommended that the coca leaf remains in Schedule I of the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs. 1/7 www.tni.org/en/article/c...

‘Narcoterrorism’ is back in official discourse across the Americas – with deadly consequences. 🎯 Watch our event for #HumanRightsDay (EN/ES/PT) with UN & civil society experts on how to defend human rights amid this new ‘war on drugs’  https://f.mtr.cool/cwblwjuhbe

The EU must do better: the proposed policing-first approach of the draft Strategy presented by the Commission sidelines harm reduction and omits key human rights guidance. With 80+ orgs, we call for a balanced, health-centred and rights-based approach!

New EU Drug Strategy risks undermining health, harm reduction and human rights - Joint letter by 84 civil society organisations

We join 83 organisations urging EU Member States to revise the proposed Drug Strategy and reject a trafficking-only Action Plan, to ensure harm reduction, health and human rights remain central to EU drug policy.

f.mtr.cool

Coca leaves remain on the list of highly dangerous substances. The window of opportunity for their removal has been shut: the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended keeping them on Schedule I — the most restrictive — of the 1961 Single Convention. english.elpais.com/internationa...

WHO rejects request from Bolivia and Colombia to remove the coca leaf from list of most-persecuted substances

Schedule I of the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs limits the possibility of scientific research and the exploration of alternative uses

english.elpais.com

"The World Health Organization had a historic opportunity to ease a global ban on the coca leaf," reports @matthabusby.bsky.social. "But the agency has chosen not to do so." The December 2 decision goes against the findings of the WHO's own expert review, which detailed harms of prohibition:

“Moral Bankruptcy” as WHO Opts to Maintain Global Coca Prohibition - Filter

The World Health Organization had a historic opportunity to ease a strict global ban on the coca leaf—a prohibition, campaigners ...

filtermag.org

The WHO’s Expert Committee on Drug Dependence (ECDD) recommends to keep the #coca leaf in Schedule I of the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs ... Defying evidence and ignoring Indigenous rights ... Yet another tragic historical mistake ... idpc.net/press/2025/1...

WHO upholds coca leaf ban, defying evidence and ignoring Indigenous rights

Despite clear evidence and contravening Indigenous rights, WHO recommends the harshest scheduling for the coca leaf, upholding racist and colonial underpinnings of its ban.

idpc.net

IDPC is deeply dismayed at this outcome, stands in solidarity with affected communities, and calls for mobilisation to denounce this injustice. 📄Read & share our full statement: https://f.mtr.cool/cdnxsqxtsw (3/3)

WHO upholds coca leaf ban, defying evidence and ignoring Indigenous rights

Despite clear evidence and contravening Indigenous rights, WHO recommends the harshest scheduling for the coca leaf, upholding racist and colonial underpinnings of its ban.

f.mtr.cool

The legal #cannabis sector in Morocco (for industrial and medicinal cannabis) is inhibited by bureaucracy, the ban on recreational cannabis and the appeal of the illegal market. 1/4 www.msn.com/en-us/news/w...

Cultivation associations in Germany have been authorised to grow #cannabis and distribute it to their members for a year now. The authorities have authorised 293 such associations. There are a particularly large number of such associations in NRW and Lower Saxony. www.zeit.de/politik/deut...

Cannabis-Legalisierung: Fast 300 Cannabis-Klubs sind in Deutschland bereits genehmigt

Seit einem Jahr dürfen Cannabis-Klubs Marihuana anbauen und an ihre Mitglieder weitergeben. In NRW und Niedersachsen gibt es besonders viele solcher Vereine.

zeit.de

The German #cannabis law is to be ‘evaluated’ in the autumn. If drug commissioner Hendrik Streeck has his way, it could be amended. An end to the cannabis law is conceivable. ‘I'm not ruling anything out,’ says Streeck. www.fr.de/panorama/ers...

Cannabis-Gesetz auf der Kippe? „Ich schließe nichts aus“ – erster CDU-Plan sickert durch

Das Cannabis-Gesetz soll „evaluiert“ werden. Geht es nach dem Drogenbeauftragten, könnte es sich ändern. Dazu passt ein aktueller Gesetzesentwurf.

fr.de

Punitive drug policies haven’t worked. Around the world, alternatives are being trialled with success. Important conversation from the UN in Geneva. 🔴 WATCH THE RECORDING: https://idpc.net/events/2025/06/support-don-t-punish-advancing-towards-a-health-and-human-rights-based-approach-to-drug-policy

If 21 months of seeing the death of babies, women, children, journalists, doctors and other innocents was not enough, the ghetto plan should be turning on all the warning lights. Israel is behaving as if it is planning genocide and expulsion. www.haaretz.com/opinion/2025...

The Jewish state is building a ghetto | Opinion

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haaretz.com

At the last CND in March 2025, Colombia led a resolution that creates an independent expert panel that will conduct a long-overdue review of the UN drug control ‘machinery’. Colombian ambassador Laura Gil explains the background. idpc.net/news/2025/07...

'Changing the current drug policy regime has become a life cause for me' – An interview with Colombia’s ambassador-at-large for drug policy, Laura Gil

Colombia’s Ambassador Laura Gil reflects on challenging the global drug regime, breaking taboos, and building hope for a post-Prohibition future — one coalition at a time.

idpc.net

'Nothing ever happens in Vienna,' they said — but Amb. Laura Gil proved otherwise. She broke taboos, built coalitions & leaned on #CivilSociety to shift the dial on #DrugPolicyReform. 📺 Must-watch via @drugreporter.bsky.social & @idpc.net:

'Changing the current drug policy regime has become a life cause for me' – An interview with Colombia’s ambassador-at-large for drug policy, Laura Gil

Colombia’s Ambassador Laura Gil reflects on challenging the global drug regime, breaking taboos, and building hope for a post-Prohibition future — one coalition at a time.

bit.ly

Legal #cannabis farmers in Morocco are unable to dispose of their crops because their products do not meet strict Western requirements for medicinal cannabis. The situation is dire; many farmers are considering going back into illegality, says TNI's Pien Metaal. platformcannabis.nl/redactionele...

Veel inside info op Meet & Greet middag van coffeeshopbond PCN

Warm en wetenswaardig: zo zou je de PCN Meet & Greet middag van 25 juni samen kunnen vatten. Het kwik liep bij Bosvreugd op tot boven de dertig...

platformcannabis.nl

In Thailand #cannabis dispensaries must transition into medical clinics if they are to continue to run legally, says the Department of Thai Traditional and Alternative Medicine that is working on a draft of the new ministerial initiative to regulate the plant. 1/2 www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/gen...

Medical clinics to replace cannabis dispensaries

Cannabis dispensaries must transition into medical clinics if they are to continue to run legally, says the Department of Thai Traditional and Alternative Medicine.

bangkokpost.com

In Switzerland #cannabis could soon be legalised. The Cann-L pilot trial in Lausanne is serving as a model. One million Swiss francs is now escaping from the local black market. Consumers prefer products with a lower THC content for their health. www.tdg.ch/legalisation...

À Lausanne, policiers et experts s’allient autour du cannabis légalisé

Le cannabis pourrait bientôt être légalisé en Suisse. Un essai pilote à Lausanne sert de modèle pour répondre à la violence croissante liée à la drogue.

tdg.ch

Thailand's government is moving to recriminalise #cannabis, plunging into limbo an industry estimated to be worth over $1 billion that has boomed since the substance was taken off the country's narcotics list in 2022. www.reuters.com/markets/comm...

Thailand moves to recriminalise cannabis, shaking $1 billion industry

Thailand's government is moving to recriminalise cannabis, plunging into limbo an industry estimated to be worth over $1 billion that has boomed since the substance was taken off the country's narcotics list in 2022.

reuters.com

Cannabis is the most widely consumed illicit drug in Europe: 24 million European adults have used #cannabis in the last year. euda.europa.eu/publications... The European Commission fails 24 million European adults by blocking a comprehensive legal regulation. www.dw.com/en/germany-w...

Germany waters down plan to legalize cannabis after EU talks – DW – 04/12/2023

Germany on Wednesday presented legislation that would allow cannabis possession and private cultivation, but not widespread commercial sales in shops for the time being.

dw.com

The coca leaf is sacred. UN drug policy must stop criminalising Indigenous traditions. The current WHO review is a rare chance to align drug policy with human rights. Will the UN meet the moment? More in our Coca Chronicles #5 with @wola-org.bsky.social. www.tni.org/en/article/t...

The UN Coca Leaf Review and Indigenous Peoples’ Rights: Can the WHO Meet the Moment? | Transnational Institute

Will the WHO confront its colonial legacy and right a historic wrong? The critical review of the coca leaf could transform global drug policy and marks an important moment for Indigenous rights and tr...

tni.org

Cannabis cultivation in Morocco expanded from around 1,400 hectares last year to between 3,000 and 3,500 hectares in 2025, more than doubling in scale... But: there is no market. en.hespress.com/112102-moroc...

Morocco wraps up second legal cannabis planting season amid growing demand

Morocco is set to conclude its second official season of legally cultivating its traditional cannabis plant, known locally as “Beldiya”, by the end of

en.hespress.com

European Drug Report 2025: Europe’s #cannabis market continues to evolve, but it is unclear what direction future European policies will take. www.euda.europa.eu/publications...

Descheduling #Coca: Challenges and Outcome Scenarios of the WHO Review www.youtube.com/watch?v=MxxA... Video of my presentation at the mckenna.academy Wisdom of the Leaf - Coca Summit in Cusco, Peru (3-7 February 2025)

Martin Jelsma: Descheduling Coca: Challenges and Outcome Scenarios of the WHO review

YouTube video by Mckenna Academy of Natural Philosophy

youtube.com

🚨 Ghada Waly, UNODC Executive Director, has resigned. 🚨 The UN's drugs agency stands at a crossroads, and Secretary-General António Guterres now has a rare opportunity to appoint a champion of human rights-based drug policies. Ann Fordham - @idpc.net, explains in our blog: idpc.net/blog/2025/06...

'When the going gets tough’: Leadership change at UNODC amidst global turmoil, UN reforms and drug policy opportunities

Ghada Waly’s resignation offers the UN Secretary-General a chance to appoint a leader who will align UNODC with human rights-based drug policies and the broader UN system.

idpc.net

The non-enforcement on the sale of illegal hashish in participating coffee shops within the Dutch cannabis experiment will be extended once more until 1 September 2025. This decision was taken following signals of shortages of regulated hashish. 1/2 cannabisindustrie.nl/verlenging-g...

Tijdelijke gedoogperiode voor illegale hasj in wietexperiment verlengd tot 1 september 2025

De tijdelijke gedoogperiode van illegale hasj in het wietexperiment wordt verlengd tot 1 september 2025 maakten de ministers bekend.

cannabisindustrie.nl

Where too many politicians lack the courage to challenge the failed 'war on drugs', Amsterdam mayor Femke Halsema has showed pragmatic leadership: "why leave a health-risk product to criminals? Alcohol & medicine are regulated, why not [currently illegal] drugs?" monocle.com/affairs/amst... 1/

Amsterdam’s rebel mayor on sex, drugs and tourists - Monocle

Femke Halsema, the Dutch capital’s first female mayor, doesn’t shy away from radical yet rational policymaking. Here she tells us...

monocle.com

An icon and one of the most inspiring world leaders has passed. José “Pepe” Mujica legalized cannabis, abortion, and same-sex marriage. A great loss in these times of imbecile weirdos in power ... english.elpais.com/internationa...

Former Uruguayan president José ‘Pepe’ Mujica, the quiet revolutionary, dies at 89

The former guerrilla fighter and symbol of the Latin American left has died after a long battle with cancer. He captivated the world with his steadfast commitment to frugality and simplicity

english.elpais.com

Legales Cannabis reduziert den Missbrauch der Droge. Besonders bei Personen, die neben Cannabis auch noch andere Drogen konsumieren, reduziert eine legale Abgabe der Substanz den problematischen Konsum, wie eine neue Studie aus Basel zeigt. www.swissinfo.ch/ger/legales-...

Legales Cannabis senkt Missbrauch besonders bei Mischkonsumenten

Legales Cannabis reduziert den Missbrauch der Droge. Besonders bei Personen, die neben Cannabis auch noch andere Drogen konsumieren, reduziert eine legale Abgabe der Substanz den problematischen Konsu...

swissinfo.ch