Before the planned vote on the reclassification of cannabis, the European Union had agreed on a common position following a decision by the EU Council, since the Commission considers the international regulation of narcotics to be a European matter. It was therefore agreed to vote in accordance with the recommendation of the World Health Organization WHO for the new classification of cannabis in Appendix I of the UN conventions. Contrary to the agreement, Hungary went it alone and voted against. For this reason, the EU member state must now answer to the European Court of Justice ( ECJ ).
Framework contract makes cannabis an EU matter
The extent to which Hungary can be prosecuted for its decision to vote against the EU decision is uncertain. In the UN body responsible for reclassification, the Commission on Narcotic Drugs ( CND ), the EU as a whole has no voting rights. Only twelve EU member states are entitled to vote on their own, Hungary is one of them. In this regard, the country naturally has every right to make a sovereign decision alone. However, a framework contract has existed at EU level since 2004, which specifies how narcotics are to be regulated by member states within the framework of UN classifications. The nations entitled to vote should therefore represent the position of the EU in votes, since the decisions also have a direct influence on EU law.
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