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Controlled Substances

Drug prohibition hinders scientific research on controlled substances. Science for Democracy aims to change that and help scientists find new treatments.

1961 First UN Convention on drugs
2 Countries with legal cannabis
80% People without palliative care

The UN Conventions on Narcotic and Psychotropic Substances were adopted to promote the availability of plants and their derivatives for medical and scientific purposes. Over the last 60 years such an objective has not been reached in any part of the world, hindering the right to health of millions of people. Research on controlled substances has a lot of potential in medicine, as different substances can be used to treat different conditions, such as MDMA for PTSD, ketamine for depression and cannabis for epilepsy. The “international drug control system” has hindered the work of researchers, impeding access to traditional and innovative therapies.