Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs
From Drug Rehab Wiki
Individuals living within the drug scene today may believe innovation is at its best with the availability of substances that can deliver a euphoric high that can last for days before the crash. In truth, humans have been abusing opioid and other narcotic substances for hundreds of years. Once it was discovered these substances could do so much more than heal, a whole new world began.
With this new world came a whole new set of problems and those in charge of maintaining some sort of order among the people realized they also needed to control the flow of narcotics and opioids within their populations. Therefore, the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs was established. This international treaty was designed to prohibit the production and supply of specific drugs and those substances with similar effects.
The purpose of the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs was to control the supply of drugs throughout civilization. It did allow for the production of narcotics, as long as it was done for medical purposes or research. The treaty updated the Paris Convention of 1931 to ensure it included synthetic opioids that had been created between 1931 and 1961 when the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs was adopted.
The more recent convention also ensured that new synthetic opioids – as more were sure to come – would also be included in its governance. By 1961, however, a great number of synthetics had already been developed that are still in use today, including methadone, morphinans and dextromoramide. Research into fentanyls and porotramide was well under way and scientists anticipated furthering these efforts to identify medications that could be effective in a number of situations and illnesses.
Before the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs was adopted, other treaties had been in place, although they truly only exerted control over opium, coca and derivatives that included morphine, heroin and cocaine. The Single Convention was meant to consolidate earlier treaties and broaden their reach to include cannabis and other drugs with very similar effects to those already included in previous treaties.
Interestingly, the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs is not a self-executing treaty and therefore those governed by the convention must pass their own laws in order to carry out the provision provided for in the convention. Compliance is ensured through the United National Office on Drugs and Crime, putting the majority of the national statutes in the UNODC legal library for future reference.
The Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs has had significant influence when it comes to the establishment of standard drug control laws in developed nations. The Unite States’ Controlled Substances Act of 1970, for instance, was designed to adhere to obligations within the treaty as the nation attempts to deliver some sense of control. With a constantly growing drug problem throughout the United States, it may be time to take another look.
