The United Nations International Narcotics Control Board has warned Uruguay that its legalization of marijuana sales are in violation of a 1961 treaty, the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs.
The treaty, pushed by the United States at the time, obliges the whole planet to criminalize marijuana, and the INCB has regularly threatened “sanctions” on violators, though in practice this seems virtually impossible to implement.
Uruguay made the move to decriminalize purchases of up to 40g per month, saying it would curb the growth of drug cartels that trade in illegal substances. The INCB countered that it “endangers young people.”
The INCB’s chief Raymond Yans has issued similar warnings to the US repeatedly over the past few years, every time various states or municipalities eliminate marijuana penalties. Those threats haven’t done anything to stop the momentum toward legalization in the US, and Uruguay is likely to go the same route.
