“This Convention provides comprehensive measures against drug trafficking, including provisions against money laundering and the diversion of precursors chemicals. It provides for international cooperation through, for example, extradition of drug traffickers, controlled deliveries and transfer of proceedings.”

The “Red List” is born

“This Convention establishes an international control system for psychotropic substances. It responded to the diversification and expansion of the spectrum of drugs of abuse and introduced controls over a number of synthetic drugs according to their abuse potential on the one hand and their therapeutic value on the other.”

The “Green List" is born.

“The Single Convention codified all existing multilateral treaties on drug control and extended the existing control systems to include the cultivation of plants that were grown as the raw material of narcotic drugs. The principal objectives of the Convention are to limit the possession, use, trade in, distribution, import, export, manufacture and production of drugs exclusively to medical and scientific purposes and to address drug trafficking through international cooperation to deter and discourage drug traffickers.”

The global persecution of people who use certain drugs begins in earnest now. Increadably, Canada was the very first country to ratify the treaty, on 11 Oct 1961, years before the United States.

The “Yellow List” is born.