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United Nations Convention against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances

Official Name

United Nations Convention against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances.

Signatories

The Convention has 184 member states.

Dates

The Convention was first signed on 20 December 1988 and came into force on 11 November 1990.

Languages

The Convention was written in English, French, Spanish, Russian, Arabic and Chinese.

This Convention was created when it was decided by the United Nations that numerous treaties made in the past that related to drugs could be conglomerated into one convention and body that could deal with all these issues, making international drug laws much more effective.

Key Points

The main aim of the Convention is to promote international co-operation to stop and prevent illegal drug trafficking. The following activities are seen as illegal and member states should implement a system to persecute all individuals and organisations found to be partaking in these activities:

• The cultivation of the cannabis plant, coca bush and opium poppy with the purpose of producing drugs
• Production and manufacture of drugs
• Making the drugs available for sale
• Transporting the drugs
• Possessing or purchasing any drugs
• Disguising a location that is producing drugs
• Conspiring to make, transport, sell or purchase drugs

Each member state shall make available alternate services to those found to possess drugs, such as rehabilitation, drug education or other treatments.

The governments of the member states may at their own discretion allow licences to be gained in order to produce drugs for medicinal and other purposes as allowed by the government.

Resources used

"NARCOTIC DRUGS AND PSYCHOTROPIC SUBSTANCES." United Nations Treaty Collection. 16 Mar. 2009 <http://treaties.un.org/Pages/ViewDetails.aspx?src=TREATY&id=170&chapter=6&lang=en>.

"UNITED NATIONS CONVENTION AGAINST ILLICIT TRAFFIC IN NARCOTIC DRUGS AND PSYCHOTROPIC SUBSTANCES." UNODC. 31 Jan. 2009 <http://www.unodc.org/pdf/convention_1988_en.pdf>.