Discussion paper Cannabis & Sustainable Development
Exploring new consensus for a post-prohibition transition that leaves no one behind.
Goal 1: End poverty in all its forms everywhere
A multifactorial approach is needed to tackle poverty, and systemic changes are inevitably required. However, reviews of national laws on psychoactive Cannabis are an unexplored way to economically empower populations living in poverty and give everyone a chance to live in dignity.
The UNODC acknowledges that "the cannabis market [...] is to a large extent dominated by local cultivation and consumption". This includes, of course, a remarkable number of persons cultivating the plant for their consumption. However, the vast majority of Cannabis growers worldwide do cultivate it as an economical and income-generating activity.
Populations in impoverished rural areas of peripheral countries are often the most vulnerable.
Among them, many have been involved in the illicit production of Cannabis , because of traditional local implantation of these crops, for lack of employment or a possible alternative legal activity, or by coercion in areas of conflicts. There, Cannabis crops grown mostly by small food producers and family farmers are largely curtailed and exploited by Drug Trafficking Organizations (DTOs).
Similarly, in urban areas, including in developed countries, people involved in illegal retail markets often belong to minorities, vulnerable groups and/or the youth.
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