Nigeria joined China, Egypt and 22 other countries in voting against a UN move to remove cannabis from a list of the world’s most tightly controlled and dangerous drugs.
But the opposition was useless, as the move narrowly passed on Wednesday night.
Weed was previously on Schedule IV of the U.N. Commission on Narcotic Drugs’ list, alongside heroin, fentanyl analogues and other opioids that are often deadly.
The decision to downgrade follows the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) recommendation last year to make research into the medical use of cannabis easier.
The vote on Wednesday was a tight one, with 27 of the Vienna based commission’s member states, including the US and European countries, in support of declassifying the drug.
Nigeria, China, Egypt, Russia and Pakistan were among the 25 countries who voted against the move. Ukraine abstained.
But stoners are mistaken to think this de-classification has paved the way for legalised weed across the world.
The drugs that are on Schedule IV are a subset of those on Schedule I of the convention, which already requires the highest levels of international control.
The agency voted to leave cannabis and cannabis resin on the list of Schedule I drugs which also include cocaine, fentanyl, morphine, methadone, opium and oxycodone, the opiate painkiller sold as OxyContin. (PMNEWS)
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