Category: Update

IMCPC supports the letter sent to the United Nations by IACM and SCC.

In 2019 the WHO Expert Committee on Drug Dependence declared that “preparations of cannabis have shown therapeutic potential for the treatment of pain and other medical conditions such as epilepsy and spasticity associated with multiple sclerosis, which are not always controlled by other medications” as well as providing relief for “anorexia associated with AIDS, nausea and vomiting in cancer chemotherapy, neuropathic pain, chronic cancer pain, Lennox-Gastaut and Dravet syndromes, neonatal hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy, perinatal asphyxia, etc”

During this pandemic it is imperative we ensure patients who use Cannabis for the management of their medical conditions continue to fully realize and enjoy their rights, in particular the safe and uninterrupted access to their treatment as is consistent with public health.

In 2009, Manfred Nowak, then Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, noted that “the de facto denial of access to pain relief, if it causes severe pain and suffering, constitutes cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment”.

During this very trying time the vast majority of jurisdictions with pre-existing programs for access to medical Cannabis have deemed Cannabis dispensaries essential. Informal systems currently in place are used by patients as a safe way of accessing their Cannabis treatment.

It is time to scrutinize and report on the situation of human rights for patients using medicinal Cannabis throughout the world to examine ways and means of overcoming obstacles identify best practices, provide technical assistance and offer concrete recommendations.

In regard to access we recommend: Medical Cannabis dispensaries be deemed essential services, regulations be implemented to allow and encourage online ordering, curbside and home delivery and provide guidance on standard operating procedures in the face of the pandemic (e.g., guidance on handling products, money, credit cards or ID cards, rules for physical distancing, etc.). Traditional medical practitioners and indigenous healers must also be granted recognition as essential services.

In regard to government resources we suggest: Instructions be given to police and law enforcement to consider Cannabis, where prohibited by law, a non-enforcement priority and immediately suspend all related police raids and crackdowns.

In regard to medical practice we propose: Physician consultation via telemedicine be made available and if possible maintain the same team of caregivers. If not then ensure that the new medical team doesn’t discontinue or delay treatment. Expiration dates for existing medical Cannabis documents need to be extended until after the crisis has abated.

Read the letter on the website of the Society of Cannabis Clinicians https://www.cannabisclinicians.org/2020/05/04/open-letter-to-the-united-nations-ensuring-continued-cannabis-access-during-the-covid-19-pandemic

Read the letter in this week’s IACM Bulletin in English: http://www.cannabis-med.org/english/bulletin/ww_en_db_cannabis_artikel.php?id=588

(and also in german: http://www.cannabis-med.org/german/bulletin/ww_de_db_cannabis_artikel.php?id=593
Español: http://www.cannabis-med.org/spanish/bulletin/ww_es_db_cannabis_artikel.php?id=505
French: http://www.cannabis-med.org/french/bulletin/ww_fr_db_cannabis_artikel.php?id=515
Dutch: http://www.cannabis-med.org/dutch/bulletin/ww_nl_db_cannabis_artikel.php?id=417
Italian: http://www.cannabis-med.org/italian/bulletin/ww_it_db_cannabis_artikel.php?id=332)

The PDF version can also be found here: http://www.cannabis-med.org/declaration_to_the_untited_nations_2020.pdf

[Prague, 04 April 2017] In Prague, in the framework of the program Patient Focus Certification (PFC), the world’s first independent testing took place of a. the quality of cannabidiol available on the retail market (CBD, a non-psychotropic substance from cannabis), and b. the composition of so-called cannabis oils available in the European Union. Results have positively confirmed the need for independent certification of the quality of mass-produced products made from cannabis.

In cooperation with the first European laboratory certified by the program PFC, which works at the Department of Food Analysis and Nutrition of the University of Chemistry and Technology, Prague (VŠCHT), the International Institute for Cannabis and Cannabinoids (ICCI) headquartered in Prague assessed the quality of certain types of commercially available CBSs and so-called “cannabis oils”.

The team led by professor Jana Hajšlová tested 29 oils containing the non-psychotropic biologically active substance from cannabis, CBD (cannabidiol), and 25 oils from cannabis seeds purchased on the EU market in the last quarter of 2016. “For both categories, we are interested in the quality and authenticity of used oils and possible content of environmental contaminants, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), which accumulate in oils (for protecting the health of their consumers, maximum limits have been anchored in legislation. For “CBD oils”, we also examined the consistency of the determined contents of CBD with the producer’s stated values and the potential content of THC” (tetrahydrocannabinol – the main psychotropic substance from cannabis), says professor Hajšlová explaining the key points.

Director of research at ICCI Tomáš Zábranský explains the reasons why the following aspects were selected in the assessment of edible cannabis-based foods: “ Multi-core polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons such as benzopryrene are classified as carcinogens and genotoxic mutagens of class IIa – according to the classification of the International Agency for Research on Cancer IARC). That means they are substances whose carcinogenicity was proven experimentally on animals, even though not on people (otherwise being prevented by ethical reasons), they have nevertheless been proven by a multitude of epidemiological studies. This especially pertains to ill persons trying to utilize the beneficial effects of CBD, but polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are unquestionably hazardous, mainly upon long-term (chronic) reception.

Another problem is the excessive content of THC in the blood after use of CBD oils. THC is another medicinally active substance from cannabis, but it is psychoactive as opposed to CBD. Even its relatively low quantities can cause changes in perception among more sensitive individuals, which could jeopardize their ability to drive or make decisions in general – especially if they are not aware of the possibility of their psyche being influenced by an external substance. Another problem for drivers may be testing positive for THC upon traffic stops, which could lead at least to losing one’s driver’s license. Generally speaking, any psychoactive substance in one’s body about which one has no idea is always a problem. ”

The results of the analysis exceeded expectations of the potential deficiencies. This has lead ICCI along with the Department of Food Analysis and Nutrition to decide to inform consumers about the risk of hazardous contaminations.

In terms of the content of polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), only 9 out of 29 (31%) of tested CBD oils were satisfactory.

Cannabis oils (which are actually oils from cannabis seeds and not from the plant) enjoyed better success in this basic food safety criterion. In this category, out of 25 tested samples, 23 products (92%) satisfied the legal limits of PAH in foods.

The quality analysis also uncovered a problem in the lack of awareness of customers on the composition of the given product. A full 60% of tested CBD oils did not have any mention of the THC level on the label – even though the consumer after consumption of the recommended or maximum dosage is threatened by testing positive for a THC level higher than the limit of 2ng per ml of blood upon screening during a traffic stop or employment, which applies in the CR. For one-fourth of tested oils, this risk is affiliated with the use of a recommended dose, and another 10% evoke this risk upon using the maximum dosage stated on the packaging. Further deficiencies on labels of 34% of CBD oils showed discrepancies between the true content of CBD, or sums of CBD and CBD and cannabidiolic acid (CBDA), and the content stated by the producer.

Mr. Chair, Excellences, ladies and gentlemen,

We are addressing this meeting as the International Medical Cannabis Patient Coalition (IMCPC), which brings together organizations of medical cannabis patients from 39 countries in 5 continents. IMCPC was established in Prague in March 2015, when we also adopted a Declaration requesting all States taking part at the UNGASS on Drugs in 2016 to support the rights of patients that require medical cannabis preparations for their treatment.

As you know, the access of cannabis as a medicine is prohibited in most countries and severely curbed in many others. In our Declaration, we have identified that the obsolete scheduling status of cannabis under the 1961 Single Convention represents the main obstacle for its medical and scientific use. We requested that issue be addressed at the UNGASS on Drugs in 2016.

We welcomed the States commitment to ensuring adequate access to controlled substances for medical and scientific purposes and to addressing all existing barriers including legislation and regulatory systems in the UNGASS outcome document. Patients in need of cannabis for their medical treatment should be included among those benefiting from improved access.

Some Governments have already acted accordingly and opened or extended the access to medical cannabis to qualifying patients regulated under various state-sponsored programs. We are happy to note the recent legislative changes in Germany and we invite other countries to follow this progress.

We have also been very pleased with another major step in the right direction, also in line with requests in our Declaration of March 2015 and the CND’s Resolution 52/5 from 2009;  the decision of the WHO Expert Committee on Drug Dependence (ECDD) at the 38th meeting in November 2016 to pre-review cannabis at the ECDD meeting dedicated to cannabis to be held within the next eighteen months. It is important that this pre-review process is followed promptly by a critical review. This can, and undoubtedly should, happen before 2019.

Most of the information that WHO needs for the objective evaluation of the medical value regarding the cannabis plant and its preparations has been made available. In March last year, a group of international experts prepared the Cannabis and Cannabis Resin Critical Review Preparation Document. This document was peer-reviewed and adopted at the International Conference on Harmonization of Global Cannabis Policy, in Washington D.C., in March 2016, which was supported by our co-founding member organization Americans for Safe Access. IMCPC provided this document to the Director-General of WHO, to the ECDD and to CND.

Mr. Chair, under the agenda item in chapter 5 of the outcome document, we encourage the Commission to explore evidence-based treatment with medical cannabis as a strategic tool to combat the misuse of opioids in countries such as the U.S. As the practical experience from several U.S. states implicates, that access to medical cannabis has significantly lowered the levels of medical use and misuse of prescription opioids, overdose deaths, and other negative phenomena.

Mr. Chair, a revision of the current scheduling status of cannabis under the 1961 Single Convention would be a major step towards the implementation of the UNGASS outcome document. We request the WHO address this issue as priority and we invite all States and international bodies, such as CND, INCB, World Bank, and UNODC, to support WHO in this regard. We propose that the ECDD set strong expert criteria for the selection of reviewers to ensure that top scientific experts with profound evidence-based insight into the issue, and with practical experience with medical cannabis treatment, are involved in the whole process, from beginning to end. We would like to assure that IMCPC members are ready to provide all information at our disposal to WHO and Governments, including the nomination of reviewing experts, to facilitate and speed up this process that is of the utmost importance for us, and the suffering citizens we have the honor to represent.

Thank you for your attention.   

On the  37th Meeting of ECDD held in Geneva, Switzerland, 16 – 20 November 2015, the IMCPC has have the opportunity to address the Expert Committee. 

Here is the testimony of Steph Sherer:

Thank you for allowing me to address World Health Organization’s Expert Committee on Drug  Dependence (ECDD). Your work here is extremely important, especially as the United Nations (UN) prepares for its General Assembly Special Session on Drugs (UNGASS 2016), scheduled for April 2016 in New York.  I am the founder and Executive Director of Americans for Safe Access (ASA), the leading medical cannabis patient advocacy organization in the United States. I am here representing over 100,000 individuals in the US that are using medical cannabis, and as a founding member of the International Medical Cannabis Patient Coalition (IMCPC), I am representing patients from thirty four countries. It is our hope that ECDD will make a recommendation for cannabis to be removed from Schedule IV and reassigned to a schedule that takes into consideration it medical use.

Today over two-thirds of the population of the United States and its territories live in regions with medical cannabis laws, and over 2.5 million individuals are legally using medical cannabis. Canada, Israel, Netherlands, Czech Republic, Croatia, Mexico, Uruguay, Romania, Germany, Jamaica, Australia, Columbia and Switzerland all have national medical cannabis programs and dozens of other countries are reviewing legislation. These programs have had a positive impact on the individuals now legally allowed to use cannabis under the recommendation of their doctors. Furthermore, studies have also shown medical cannabis laws are also having positive impacts on over all public health.

A 2005 study from the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes 1found that  “patients who use cannabis therapeutically are 3.3 times more likely to adhere to their antiretroviral therapy regimens than non-cannabis users.” In 2014, an article from the Journal of American Medicine2 found that “States with medical cannabis laws had a 24.8% lower mean annual opioid overdose mortality rate compared with states without medical cannabis laws.” A recent report from National Bureau of Economic Research 3 stated:  “Our findings suggest that providing broader access to medical marijuana may have the potential benefit of reducing abuse of highly addictive painkillers.”

Through nearly two decades of experimentation, medical cannabis programs in the US and world-wide include robust regulations to address public health and safety issues, including diversion and abuse. Almost all of the laws and regulations adopted after 2012 include product safety protocols that were developed by the American Herbal Products Association (AHPA)4 and with the guidance of the American Herbal Pharmacopeia’s (AHP) Cannabis monograph5. The American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) is the principal US trade association and voice of the herbal products industry since 1982. The American Herbal Pharmacopoeia (AHP)has developed science-based qualitative and therapeutic monographs on Western herbs since 1994. Despite the positive impact of medical cannabis laws, they are arguably in varying degrees of conflict with International treaties, most notably the UN Single Convention Treaty of 1961. The UN Single Convention Treaty has been used by governments across the globe, including the United States, to derail attempts to reform national medical cannabis laws and research.  At the “Medical Cannabis and Cannabinoids: Policy, Research and Medical Practice” conference in Prague March 4-7, 2015, representatives of organizations of medical cannabis patients from thirteen countries met and established the International Medical Cannabis Patient Coalition (IMCPC), and put together a Declaration6 addressing UNGASS 2016. The Declaration called on the UN to take the following actions:

Recommends

– that increased attention and resources are being given at the national and international level to the treatment with medical cannabis and cannabinoids, and its research in particular

Invites

– all countries to secure stable, safe, economically available access to medical cannabis and its derivatives to everyone who is indicated medically for such treatment

Requires

– that the UN General Assembly Special Session on Drugs 2016 request that Governments either

o exclude the cannabis out of the 1961 UN Convention with no other actions, or

o  prepare, debate and accept a Special UN Convention on Cannabis, that would be based on the scientific evidence, human rights and the wellbeing of societies, and

o as suggested by the World Health Organization, re-schedules cannabis to account for its medical use, and in amendment prepare special regulations for medical cannabis that would not mimic those of medical opiates and opium

Cannabis is scheduled in Schedules I and IV of the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs as amended by the 1972 Protocol (the “Single Convention”). This scheduling was created based on a report created by the Health Committee of the League of Nations in 1935. To date, ECDD has not conducted an updated review. In 2009, the Commission on Narcotic Drugs, in its Resolution 52/5, requested an updated review by ECDD. In 2013, the International Narcotics Control Board in its annual report, invited WHO, in view of its mandate under the 1961 Convention, to evaluate “the potential medical utility of cannabis and the extent to which cannabis poses dangers to human health”. The current international policies on cannabis are outdated and are having a detrimental impact on patients in the United States and worldwide. New policies should take into account new clinical research, product safety protocols for cannabis cultivation, manufacturing, and distribution, and global patient needs. With the UNGASS 2016 meetings around the corner, the world’s attention has turned to this Committee and its power to recommend the rescheduling of medical cannabis to account for medical use and access requirements under international policies.

It was my understanding that my role here today was to comment on the ECDD’s updated report on Cannabis and Cannabis. However, the report for whatever reason was not available. The various organizations with which I work and I are here to help the committee in what ever way may be needed to move this process forward. Global patient populations need international medical cannabis policies to evolve. The whole world is watching this process and depending on your insight and leadership.Thank you for time and consideration.

Steph Sherer

Americans for Safe Access (ASA)
International Medical Cannabis Patients Coalition (IMCPC)

Lib Dem MP and one-time deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg is to meet with a delegation of medical cannabis patients from around the UK on December 16^th at Portcullis House.

The meeting has been set up by the recently formed National Cannabis Coalition, an umbrella group of pro-reform organisations which includes the United Patients Alliance, United Kingdom Cannabis Social Clubs, NORML UK, and others. In this case, the organisation mainly responsible for setting up the meeting is the UPA, whose Political Director Jon Liebling announced the news on social media.

The delegation will include Mr Liebling, who uses cannabis to treat the symptoms of anxiety and depression, the UPA’s Director Clark French, a Multiple Sclerosis patient and prominent legalisation activist, and five other patients with various illnesses, diseases, and ailments for which they consume cannabis. Included among those five will be Jacob Barrow, the creator of the current e-petition to reschedule cannabis to allow for its use as a medicine.

The hope is that by meeting with Nick Clegg face to face, and showing him the real, physical evidence of the medical and therapeutic potential of cannabis in person, they will be able to convince him of the urgent need for a change in legislation.

It can hardly be ignored, however, that Clegg’s authority and ability to bring about change has been diminished somewhat by the General Election results this year, in which the party he then led lost all but eight of its MPs.

That said, Mr Clegg is still well known in political terms. More people know who he is than, say, Johnny Mercer MP, who called for the banning of ‘legal highs’ in the media today, apparently oblivious to the fact that his party are already going against all of the evidence by doing exactly what he is now apparently campaigning for.

So Clegg can still, at the very least, be a recognised voice of reason in the national press, as he has been previously. Writing in The Independent earlier this year, he said “We are, without doubt, losing the war on drugs”. At the time he was discussing his plans, along with Sir Richard Branson and others, to build a new campaign to convince European leaders of the need for reform at UNGASS 2016, which is now only four months away.

As important as UNGASS could undoubtedly be, the focus of the delegation of cannabis patients meeting Nick Clegg tomorrow will be firmly UK-centric. The need for immediate change at home is clear and urgent, and must not be ignored by our politicians. Contrary to what some would have you believe, changes to the UN Single Convention are not necessary in order for us to change our approach to medical cannabis in the UK. With any luck, coming face to face with some of the victims of the war on drugs, and hearing their stories first-hand, will convince Mr Clegg to focus some of his energy on fighting for change at home as well as abroad.

I spoke to Tom Lloyd, ex-chief of Cambridgeshire Police and Chair of the National Cannabis Coalition, about the patient delegation earlier today. He had this to say:

“I am very pleased that Nick Clegg is taking the time to discover the truth about the cruel injustice of our failed drug prohibition policy that punishes seriously ill patients for treating themselves with their most effective medicine – cannabis. After hearing directly from the patients I hope he will be a powerful advocate for change and urge our government to allow all patients legal access to cannabis including those who grow their own to avoid engaging with the criminal market.”

Author: Deej Sullivan

1st International Meeting of the International Medical Cannabis Patient Coalition IMCPC

17th of October 2015

On this day will be held the first meeting of IMCPC. It  will be hosted by the « Union Francophone for   Cannabinoids in Medicine, I care ! » (UFCM i care) The meeting will take place at 12 rue Kühn, in Strasbourg, France.

Strasbourg is the seat of several European institutions, such as the Council of Europe (with its European Court of Human Rights, its European Directorate for the Quality of Medicines and its European Audiovisual Observatory) as well as the European Parliament . The city is also the seat of the International Institute of Human Rights. To this extent Strasbourg  is called the capital of Europe.

The meeting will last 1h30 and will be lead by Steph Sherer, President of Americans for Safe Access, the largest medical cannabis patient organization in the US. Participation is open to patient organizations who desire access to medical cannabis for their treatment and want to be involved actively in this process on a national and international level.
Objectives of the meeting :
– Present the IMCPC declaration in France and support UFCM I care and french patients their right to access to medical cannabis;
– Present the action of IMCPC on an international level to obtain official  status in regard to the United Nations;
– Discuss future events where IMCPC action will take place;
– Build a french patient coalition for medical cannabis supported by IMCPC to promote the use of cannabinoids in medicine to the French government;

We, the representatives organizations of medical cannabis patients from 13 countries, who met at the “Medical Cannabis and Cannabinoids: Policy, Research and Medical Practice” conference in Prague March 4-7, 2015 and established the International Medical Cannabis Patient Coalition (IMCPC), put together a Declaration addressing all countries and their representatives taking part at the UN General Assembly Special Session on Drugs 2016 (UNGASS 2016) to adopt it and incorporate it into the Declaration of the UNGASS 2016:

We, the patients that use cannabis within their medical treatment, or those of us, who would like to do so, but have no legal access to their medical drug,

Reaffirming

• Universal Declaration of Human Rights proclaimed by the General Assembly of the United Nations on 10 December 1948, its para 25, Article 1,[1] in particular, that guarantees right for living in adequate health
• the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms of 4 November 1950;
• the European Social Charter of 18 October 1961;
• the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights of 16 December 1966;
• the Convention for the Protection of Individuals with regard to Automatic Processing of Personal Data of 28 January 1981;
• the Convention on the Rights of the Child of 20 November 1989;
• the European Convention on Human Rights and Biomedicine[2]
• the 2010 report of the UN Special Rapporteur Anand Grover “On the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health“
• and, finally, the three governing principles of different UN Declarations in charge, namely:
  1. States have the responsibility to guarantee their citizens the right to adequate health. When for whatever reason they are unable to do so, the international community must assume that responsibility.
  2. States have the responsibility to ensure that none of their citizens are deprived of this right by state action.
  3. These rights are guaranteed to all citizens, regardless of race, religion, gender, age, or social standing in the community, or other status.

Recalling that

• the ultimate and basic purpose of each and any international (UN) treaty is to protect wellbeing;
• the history of treatment of a wide array of medical disorders with cannabis and its derivatives Is at least as long as 8 thousand years;
• that there is not known lethal dose of cannabis of any type that would be technically possible to consume by human;
• the toxicity of cannabis in term of its acute and chronic effects is extraordinary low and there is not known lethal dose of cannabis of any type that would be technically possible to consume by human;
• there is mounting scientific research bringing evidence of the effectiveness of medical cannabis in treating various symptoms and syndromes of a wide array of diseases, many of them debilitating and disabling;
• there is increasing research suggesting that cannabis and cannabinoids have a high potential not only to treat symptoms, but also to cure diseases causally because of its effects at virtually all levels of biological homeostasis;
• modern medical research has shown that cannabis can slow the progression of such serious diseases as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s and stop HIV and cancer cells from spreading; has both anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving properties; can alleviate the symptoms of epilepsy, PTSD and multiple sclerosis; is useful in the treatment of depression, anxiety and other mental disorders; and can help reverse neurological damage from brain injuries and stroke;
• the World Health Organization has acknowledged the therapeutic effects of cannabinoids, the primary active compounds found in cannabis, including as an antidepressant, appetite stimulant, anticonvulsant and anti-spasmodic, and identified cannabinoids as beneficial in the treatment of asthma, glaucoma, and nausea and vomiting related to illnesses such as cancer and AIDS;
• the US National Cancer Institute has concluded that cannabis has antiemetic effects and is beneficial for appetite stimulation, pain relief, and improved sleep among cancer patients;
• the American Herbal Pharmacopoeia and the American Herbal Products Association have developed qualitative standards for the use of cannabis as a botanical medicine;
• the experiments in cannabis legislations of several countries have shown that increased availability of medical cannabis results in significant reduction in opioid overdose deaths;
• more than 20 years of countries and state-level experimentation provides a guide for laws and policies related to the medical use of cannabis;
• every patient has a right to freely choose her/his medical treatment.

States that

• the current scheduling mentioned above
  • is effectively blocking the research of cannabis and cannabinoids, and
  • significantly limits the availability of the plant and its compounds (phytocannabinoids) to those who would benefit of it in terms of their medical condition and the quality of life;
• prohibiting patients and physicians from access to medical cannabis based on 60 year old uninformed decision has created dramatic unethical status, and thus,
• as such, the inclusion of cannabis and related substances in Schedules IV/I of the 1961 UN Convention is outdated and undermines the very mission of UN,
• the inclusion of cannabis into Schedules IV and I of controlled substances under UN Convention of Narcotic Drugs 1961 cannot be preserved anymore using available scientific evidence (that may have been not available in 1961, but is certainly available in 2015)

Recommends

• that increased attention and resources are being given at the national and international level to the treatment with medical cannabis and cannabinoids, and its research in particular

Invites

• all countries and states to secure stable, safe, economically available access to medical cannabis and its derivatives to everyone who is indicated medically for such treatment

Requires

• that the UN General Assembly Special Session on Drugs 2016 either
  • excludes the cannabis out of the 1961 UN Convention with no other actions, or
  • prepares, debates and accepts a Special UN Convention on Cannabis, that would be based on the scientific evidence, human rights and the wellbeing of societies, and
  • as suggested by the World Health Organization, re-schedules cannabis from Schedule IV/I into Schedule III, and in amendment prepares special regulations for medical cannabis that would not mimic those of medical opiates and opium

Prague, March 7^th, 2015

[1] Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control.

[2] Article 2 –   Primacy of the human being: The interests and welfare of the human being shall prevail over the sole interest of society or science.

US Unity Conference Inspires International Emotions of Winning

American for Safe Access recently hosted its members’ annual Unity conference in Washington, DC themed: “Wellness is Winning”. I had the privilege to present about IMCPC in the opening session. This report is not meant to summarize what you can watch on conference video channel, but to connect the dots from coffee breaks, hospitality rooms and other locations where people talk face to face.

There have been many ‘first time’ moments since the establishment of IMCPC at the Medical Cannabis conference in Prague especially on the international level including IMCPC’s present at the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs meeting in Vienna the following week. Wellness is winning was not just Unity conference theme but the major emotion you could feel from many keynotes, lectures and presentation. Most of speakers and many participant are not debating why medical cannabis should be broadly available for patients (certainly because in some of their states it is already legal for more than a decade). They are already paving the way in regulating cannabis and cannabis products with the Patient Focused Certifications program that is ensuring safe cannabis medicine for all patients and extending new treatment methods that will have a reach far beyond cannabis enthusiasts.

My personal ‘first time’ moment in DC was that even tough I was at an event full of medical cannabis activists, it felt like I was attending a conference from my professional life. Do not get me wrong; I do not have anything against activists as I am an activist also in few more areas than medical cannabis. But I didn’t realize that “activist” does not have to mean cannabis enthusiasts, such as the pictures we see in the media in Europe of dreadlocked crowds in the cannabis fairs audience. I now see that the patient activist movement in the US is removing barriers of stigma to allow a larger part of society engage in changing medical cannabis laws. The fact that any external observer I had chance to chat at the hotel premises had not noticed that the venue is fully crowded by medical cannabis patients and professionals and was gaining positive feedback from these random representatives of general population where we need to extend availability and understanding of cannabis treatment. Also as this outreach significantly helps to increase public demand on politics to cancel outdated and already harmful cannabis prohibition once they understand that public majority wants to benefit from this traditional treatment.

My jetlag was each day was blown away, usually during breakfast when some of attendees gave me very positive feedback on the IMCPC launch and the Prague Declaration call on UN to remove cannabis from actual and very outdated international scheduling. The euphoria contained in feedback of community activists who convinced their counties and/or states to legalize medical cannabis, parents trying to secure effective treatment for severe disease of their child, veterans fighting PTSD epidemy as well as leading researchers risking their professional carriers for the freedom to run clinical studies with this still in many parts of world forbidden medicine was simply infectious. It was great to feel how many positive energy can be generated by the simple memo to UN that it is time to act now, respectively on UN GASS April 2016 meeting, to be compatible again with main UN principle to support international good. ASA members’ and supporters’ energy has been invested in the creation of patient’s information, professional education and safety standards available for free scaling by any other patient organization internationally. This kind proposal was regular part of the feedback attendees give to help fulfill IMCPC objectives.

I am encouraged by the increasing expectation of international change is also focusing on a commitment to create enough international demand and express it to the UN officers during upcoming year so they will remove at least some if not all outdated barriers UN Single Convention that is blocking safe access to medical cannabis worldwide. The euphoric emotions and winning power mainly generated by successful issuing of federal legislation legalizing medical cannabis in US Senate and were tangible during the Unity conference are great assets we have to scale internationally through IMCPC and other networks involving patients, activists as well as medical professionals. If I would listen decade ago to vison that in 2015 US as one of main supporters of UN policy on cannabis will in fact become thanks to its brave citizens world leading opponent legalizing medical cannabis access federaly I would take it as a nice dream which is too utopic to happen. But it is reality which is worth to scale worldwide as the cannabis prohibition was scaled from US and Russia in late fifties of twenty century. We who are supporting the same change in our countries’ policies will have to help our citizens understand that medical cannabis accessibility is not bypass or a stepping stone for recreational use of cannabis (how some opponents are trying to label this civil society progress) but it is patient fundamental right to be treated by safe and effective medicine based on scientific and clinical evidence and their personalized needs especially in conditions where other methods failing to bring relief.

Let’s make wellness win world-wide!

Pavel Kubu (KOPAC- Czech republic, Co-Chair Communication at IMCPC)

6 May 2015, 3:00 – 6:00pm

Boardroom CR-A, UN Headquarters, New York, NY

The UN General Assembly will hold a Special Session (UNGASS) on drugs from 19-22 April, 2016. On May 7, 2015, the President of the General Assembly, in cooperation with the Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND), will hold a High Level Thematic Debate in support of process towards the 2016 special session of the General Assembly on the world drug problem with Member States and other relevant stakeholders. The High Level Thematic Debate will contribute to the ongoing General Assembly 2016 special session preparatory process discussions led by the Commission on Narcotic Drugs. According to the Concept Note for the event, one of two panel discussions will focus on the importance for Member States of implementing a multi-dimensional and multi-stakeholder approach in addressing the world drug problem.

To support member states in this discussion, the Civil Society Task Force convened by the New York NGO Committee on Drugs and the Vienna NGO Committee on Drugs will hold the 5th Civil Society Hearing in preparation for the High Level Thematic Debate.

 In addition to an opening session, the Civil Society Hearing will consist of two panels:

1)      The first session will feature 4-5 civil society representatives who will share their knowledge and experience in the health, social, human rights, economic, justice and security fields.

2)      The second session will discuss a) the role and function of the Civil Society Task Force, and b) how it can help facilitate cooperation with Governments and the UN System, including the non-governmental organizations, the scientific community, youth, and the private sector; including lessons learned and suggestions for ideas for the future, especially in the leadup to UNGASS.

Each panel discussion will be followed by a Question & Answer Session.

IMCPC will be represented by Steph Sherer (ASA) and MIchael Krawitz (VMCA).