Skip to content

Thursday, Apr. 8, 2021

Did the UN vote to classify cannabis as a ‘medicine’?

Victoria Eavis, Lead Stories

no

The U.N. Commission on Narcotic Drugs voted on December 2, 2020, to remove cannabis from the strictest drug-control list, Schedule IV of the 1961 Convention on Narcotic Drugs, where it had been listed alongside dangerous, addictive drugs with little to no therapeutic value, such as heroin.

This reclassification does not certify cannabis as a "medicine," contrary to claims in some social media posts.

The drug will remain on Schedule I, which includes drugs that carry a risk for abuse, but have notable potential for therapeutic uses.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

About fact briefs

Fact briefs are bite-sized, well-sourced explanations that offer clear "yes" or "no" answers to questions, confusions, and unsupported claims circulating online. They rely on publicly available data and documents, often from the original source. Fact briefs are written and published by Gigafact contributor publications.

See all fact briefs

Lead Stories is a fact checking and debunking website at the intersection of big data and journalism that launched in 2015. It scouts for trending stories, images, videos and posts that contain false information in order to fact check them as quickly as possible. It actively monitors the fake-news ecosystem and doesn’t wait for reader tips or reports before getting started on a story.

Learn More

Be a Friend of facts

Help us fund more great fact briefs like this one.