Fields of Green for ALL attended this year’s CND in Vienna as civil society participants supported by an incredible group of over 50 of fellow activists, academics and experts in their fields.

This year marked the 10th Anniversary of our International work, which began when Jules & Myrtle attended UNGASS (United Nations General Assembly Special Session on Drugs) at the UN Headquarters in New York. So much has happened in the last 10 years, both at home and internationally, even if the pace is painfully slow and the potholes on the road to legally regulated Cannabis for ALL are huge.

The International Drug Policy Consortium published a comprehensive report: The UNGASS Decade in Review – Gaps, Achievements and Paths for Reform, well worth a read if you really want to get a sense of the bigger picture at grass tops level.  

When it comes to grass roots activism, our Cannabis Embassy colleagues have been chipping away at punitive Cannabis policies at the UN and in their home countries since the late nineties. It was their inspiration 10 years ago that led Fields of Green for ALL to achieve ECOSOC special consultative status in 2021, enabling us to participate in a more substantial way ever since.

Our side event this year was centred around “Post Prohibition Policing in South Africa”, the project we started in October 2025. We  presented the two-pronged project addressing the gap between progress made with Cannabis laws in SA and the ongoing arrests, incarceration & enduring stigma faced by so many in our country. First, community engagements capture lived experience to co-develop practical guidelines for rights-based, constitutionally compliant cannabis policing. Second, longitudinal arrest data since 2013 is analysed to engage police leadership directly and reform standard operating procedures from within institutions.  The full video of our side event will be posted shortly.

CND69 featured 169 side events and 23 exhibitions. We were very pleased to present to a packed room of people who asked many interesting questions afterwards and hope that policing will continue to receive the careful attention it deserves. Fields of Green for ALL’s event was complemented by presentations by our civil society partners: Societa della Ragione from Italy – “War on Drugs and Systemic Corruption”, DRCnet from the USA’s “Murder on Land and Sea: Extrajudicial Killings in the 21st Century”, ENCOD’s “Multiple Celebrations of Civil Society’s Achievements in Drug Policy” and the Veterans Action Council’s “CBD-Rich Cannabis – Policy and Patient Experience.” 

Important agenda items covered during the plenary sessions at the  Commission: 

  • New Expert Panel: A 19-member expert panel was announced to contribute to the 2029 global drug policy review – Are the International Conventions still fit for purpose?
  • Substance Scheduling: The commission addressed the scheduling of three new substances under international drug control conventions. Including a synthetic Cannabinoid  – ADB-5’Br-INACA
  • Focus Areas: Discussions focused on addressing the proliferation of designer precursors and the trafficking of amphetamine-type stimulants.
  • Alternative Development: A resolution was adopted to complement the UN Guiding Principles on Alternative Development, addressing challenges like climate change, food security, and the rights of Indigenous Peoples.
  • Human Rights Approach: There was a strong emphasis from participants, including the Pompidou Group, on a human rights-based, evidence-driven approach to drug policies. 

After a very lengthy application process lasting years, FGA was granted ECOSOC consultative status in 2021. This is a formal accreditation granted by the United Nations Economic and Social Council to non-governmental organizations (NGOs), allowing them to participate in UN deliberations. It enables NGOs to attend meetings, submit written statements, make oral presentations, and network across the various UN bodies.

Why this matters to us and SA is that we, as a country, are a Member State at the UN and signatories to the conventions. CND is one of the main global bodies that shapes how countries deal with drugs (including cannabis, opioids, and other controlled substances). For member states, its importance is significant because it influences laws, policies, funding, and international cooperation. CND is where global policy is set and this directly influences our policy and how the government makes decisions around drugs, including Cannabis.

CND is the UN’s central policymaking body on drug control.

The CND monitors how countries implement the three main global drug treaties:

  • Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs
  • Convention on Psychotropic Substances
  • United Nations Convention Against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances

Member states are expected to align their national laws with these agreements.

One of the CND’s most powerful roles is scheduling substances (deciding how strictly they should be controlled internationally). This is done based on scientific advice from the World Health Organization. Think back to when CBD was descheduled , this is where it happened.

CND is a platform for policy debate and important discussion on reform. A place where policy makers, government delegations and civil society activists gather on neutral ground and can debate and discuss the realities on the ground vs those making the decisions about us. Here we can advocate for reforms like harm reduction, decriminalisation & primary health inclusions. We can share evidence based approaches and the actual evidence, as well as push back on policies we see as harmful.

Being able to observe the happenings as activists from a credible NGO, we are able to then challenge and influence local policy and reform from an informed position. This takes the form of running campaigns, challenging policies and laws in court like we did with the Trial of the Plant in 2017, lobbying the government and participating in public consultations with the understanding of international laws we are signatories to.

Very often we see UN conventions or UNODC being used as an excuse or reason as to why policy can’t move forward or work a certain way. If we can get our policy makers to listen(!), Fields of Green for ALL is in a position to provide evidence, Human Rights and Harm Reduction-based inputs that can benefit ALL. Now to get them to listen!