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Convention on Psychotropic Substances, 1971

The Convention on Psychotropic Substances is a United Nations (UN) treaty that vastly extended international control of drugs to include sedatives, stimulants, and psychedelics. During the 1960s, the use and abuse of such licit and illicit drugs was on the rise. Of particular concern was the psychedelic substance lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), with a large number of purported negative health problems affecting its users. The Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs of 1961, a UN treaty that had been created to control the abuse of cannabis, coca, and opium plants, was insufficient in limiting the availability of psychotropic substances in the 1960s. At that time, a number of individual governments enacted legislation restricting the use of psychedelics and amphetamines for approved medical or scientific purposes; however, no international provisions existed.

In response to the necessity for international regulation of such substances, the Convention on Psychotropic Substances was held on February 21, 1971, and the agreement was put into effect on August 16, 1976. Adolf Lande, who was primarily responsible for drafting the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, published the Commentary on the Convention on Psychotropic Substances under the leadership of the UN Office of Legal Affairs. Lande's commentary is considered fundamental for the interpretation and understanding of the Convention on Psychotropic Substances. As of April 2010, 183 countries were party to the treaty.

The Convention on Psychotropic Substances utilized a similar drug classification system to that employed in the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, dividing substances into four different schedules based on varying degrees of dependence and therapeutic value. Schedule I is the most restrictive of the schedules and Schedule IV is the least restrictive.

Drug Schedules

Schedule I includes substances thought to be dangerous, which create a serious threat to public health and have no therapeutic value. Examples of substances currently in this schedule are LSD and MDMA (the active component in ecstasy tablets), and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC, the primary psychoactive substance found in cannabis).

Schedule II includes a variety of stimulants (mainly amphetamine-based) of little therapeutic value, as well as some analgesics. Examples of substances currently in this schedule are phencyclidine (PCP) and methylphenidate (the active component in many attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder medications).

An addiction researcher mapping the brain around 1965. There was increasing concern over psychotropic drugs in the 1960s.

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Schedule III includes sedatives (mainly barbiturates) with fast or medium acting effects, which have been seriously abused but are therapeutically useful. Examples of substances currently in this schedule are pentobarbital and flunitrazepam.

Schedule IV includes less potent sedatives, hypnotics, and anxiolytics, which are less likely to be associated with dependency and are often used in therapy. Examples of substances currently in this schedule are clonazepam and phenobarbital.

The scheduling process for adding or removing drugs is based on a system in which the World Health Organization (WHO) assesses the extent or likelihood of abuse, the amount of public health and social problems created by the substance, the level of efficacy for medical purposes, and whether international control of the substance would be appropriate. The Commission on Narcotic Drugs makes the final decision on whether to add a drug to a schedule, remove a drug, or transfer a drug to a different schedule. The UN Economic and Social Council is the only entity with the power to alter a decision reached by the Commission. As of April 2010, 111 substances were controlled under the Convention on Psychotropic Substances.

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