Delusions concerning safety of cannabis
"In the light of the last changes in the legislation of some countries connected with the medical and not medical use of cannabis, emergence of the report in which we draw attention to this aspect – extremely in due time, - the Chairman of the International committee on Viroy Sumaya drugs told. – Today there is a set of the delusions concerning safety of cannabis, control over it and its distribution - especially where it is legalized or apply in the medical purposes". Authors of the report note a number of negative consequences of the uncontrolled use of marijuana:
- increase in traumatism as a result of the road accidents;
- growth of number dependent on cannabis;
- an adverse effect on a fruit in case of cannabis smoking by mother during pregnancy;
- chronic and acute bronchitis;
- probability of a heart attack and stroke at youth;
- in combination with tobacco - the increased risk of development of cancer and respiratory diseases;
- a memory impairment - at the long daily use at teenage age.
Fight against drug addiction led to the fact that many people lost access to soothing drugs
The back of weak control over drugs, the deficiency of opioid anesthetics or their inaccessibility the patient enduring improbable tortures is. In the report it is noted that despite separate small shifts, the quantity of available opioid analgetics decreased and far does not meet the needs for the majority of the countries of Africa, East Asia, Central and South America and the Caribbean Region. And the amount of available narcotic anesthetics steadily grows in the USA, Canada, Australia and a number of the western countries and much more exceeds the needs for them. In Eastern Europe their level did not change since 1994.
One more reason that persons in need do not receive soothing is connected with the fact that doctors are afraid to buy, store or appoint opioid analgetics, being afraid of punishment. According to the appropriate public authorities, almost in half of the countries which provided data there are strict restrictions for what categories of health workers have the right to appoint opioid analgetics. Specially trained nurses are still allowed to appoint opioid analgetics only in 2 percent of the countries which provided answers. In 26 percent of the countries over which there are data, legal sanctions for inadvertent mistakes at the address with opioid analgetics are still provided. As for rules of prescription of medicines, in many countries period of validity of recipes makes one month or more. And here effectively it is impossible to control distribution of so-called "design" precursors and new psychoactive substances so far.
In the new report experts of Committee also condemned the violence directed against drug users or those who are suspected of the activity connected with drugs.
The international control system over drugs is constructed on three conventions on control over drugs – the Uniform convention on drugs of 1961, the Convention on psychotropic substances of 1971 and the Convention of the UN on fight against illicit trafficking in drugs and psychotropic substances of 1988.
The international committee on control over drugs is independent body which is urged to monitor implementation of conventions of the UN on control over drugs. It was created in 1968 according to provisions of the Convention on drugs. In its structure — 13 independent experts. The committee annually prepares the report on the work in which it gives an assessment of measures for control over drugs and draws attention to problems and shortcomings of national systems.