Canada Goes to Pot

On October 17 Canada became the second country in the world to legalize the recreational use of Cannabis. The first was Uruguay, which decriminalized Cannabis a few years ago. But Canada's move is arguably more significant to international relations for the fact that it is a member of the G7; and is a country that has a longstanding commitment to international law and the rules based international order 

  But, as my guest today Ambassador David Johnson explains, this move puts Canada squarely in violation of its international treaty obligations. David Johnson is a former US assistant secretary of state of international narcotics and law enforcement affairs. He is also currently a member of the UN's International Narcotics Control Board. As he explains, this is a body that oversees country's  compliance  with international treaties relating to drugs, including what is known as the 1961 Single Convention.    We discuss the implications of Canada's apparent violation of this treaty; and what it means for global efforts to control illicit drugs trafficking.    More broadly,though, we discuss what happens when progressive policies like the decriminalization of cannabis run afoul of the rules of the international system. And I think you can tell that I am kind tortured here. On the one hand, I strongly support the decriminalization of cannabis. On the other hand, I strongly support a rules based international order--and Canada's move puts these two in direct conflict.