The Centenary of Cannabis Prohibition: A Global Call for Justice and Reform
The year 2025 will mark a somber milestone in history: the 100th anniversary of international cannabis prohibition. This misguided policy, born in Geneva in 1925 when “Indian hemp” was classified as a narcotic under the International Opium Convention, has had far-reaching consequences, including criminalization, cultural stigma, and suppression of scientific research.
But as we approach this milestone, it is not a time for celebration. Instead, it is a moment to reflect on the harm caused to generations, the suppression of scientific knowledge, and the denial of access to a plant that has been a part of human history since the beginning.
Longtime activist and co-founder of Berkeley Patients Group, Etienne Fontan, reminds us that this is a time for remembrance, not celebration. And he is not alone in this sentiment. Across the world, activists, researchers, and communities of farmers and advocates are using the centenary as an opportunity to demand a future rooted in justice, science, access, and human rights reparations.
At the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND68) in Vienna last March, the Cannabis Embassy set up the first-ever cannabis information table and exhibition in the lobby where world leaders, many of whom still support prohibition, gather. And at a historic side event titled “1925-2025: One Centenary of Cannabis as a Narcotic Drug Under International Control,” ENCOD drove home the point that for 99% of human history, cannabis was neither prohibited nor problematic.
Fields of Green for ALL also hosted a side event at CND, focusing on the continued human rights abuses in Africa, a continent that remains largely prohibitionist. In South Africa, they even got their government to acknowledge the centenary and held media events nationwide.
In Paris, Cannabis without Borders and NORML France used their annual Marijuana March to bring attention to the 100-year mark, calling prohibition “a century of failure that must end.” In Nepal, activists launched a campaign to protect the country’s landraces, urging the government to adopt the recent “GRATK” Treaty against biopiracy and illegitimate patents on landraces and traditional cannabis knowledge.
In Toronto, “Reclaiming Our Narratives” was a four-day exhibit tracing the history of cannabis in Black communities from pre-colonial times to the modern legalization movement. And in Chile, the Foundation “Todo lo que Cultivas, Eleva” kick-started the official process to recognize Cannabis Cultures as a protected Intangible Cultural Heritage.
Meanwhile, the Cannabis Embassy curated events and statements for the 2025 Barcelona UNESCO Conference, advocating for the cultural recognition of the plant’s historic role and the protection of diversity in cannabis cultures. As we approach the centenary of cannabis prohibition, it is clear that a global chorus is calling for justice and reform. Let us use this moment to reflect, remember, and demand a better future for all.
