Convention on Psychotropic Substances
From Drug Rehab Wiki
The Convention on Psychotropic Substances (CPS) is a treaty drafted at the United Nations and signed in Vienna in 1971. The document was created in an effort to control drugs that affect the human mind. These substances include benzodiazepines, barbiturates, and amphetamines. The CPS came in response to complaints that the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs of 1961, which concerned marijuana, cocaine and opioids, had appeased pharmaceutical companies and, thus, did not address psychotropic drugs.
Psychotropic drugs were made available on a large-scale, worldwide, beginning in the ‘60s, and governments needed to address the resulting negative effects on health and the overall moral decline. Back then, law enforcement could not prosecute those using and dealing psychotropic drugs, as there were no statutes outlawing them. The CPS aimed to control importation and exportation of psychotropic drugs and limit use to strictly scientific or medical purposes. In essence, the Convention determined that recreational use of psychotropic drugs, especially LSD and other hallucinogens, had no place in society. In all, there are one hundred and seventy-five countries that have signed the treaty; each country has then passed laws at home implementing the provisions using the Convention’s Commentary.
By 1970, the US had modified its drug laws under the Controlled Substances Act, which addressed marijuana, opioids and cocaine. In 1978, the Psychotropic Substances Act was passed to implement the provisions of the Convention of Psychotropic Substances. As a result of these new laws, the US government now had the authority to classify controlled substances into “Schedules” and add new drugs to the appropriate Schedule as they became known. When determining which Schedule a particular drug should be classified under, officials should consider the likelihood of abuse, usefulness of the drug in a medical setting and the degree to which the drug endangers public health or creates social issues.
There are four main Schedules that resulted from the Conventions. Schedule I drugs have no acknowledged therapeutic value and are completely prohibited; they also differ from the other three classes of drugs in that they are produced in illegal laboratories. These drugs include LSD, Ecstacy, and THC, the active ingredient in marijuana. Schedule II drugs have limited therapeutic value and include amphetamines and painkillers, such as morphine. Schedule III drugs, like barbiturates, are very useful in therapeutic settings, but have an extremely high likelihood of being abused. Schedule IV drugs are relatively weak and are often seen in medical settings and include phenobarbital and Valium.
