Convention on psychotropic substances, 1971. The role and responsibilities of the World Health Organization.

1. The world community has realized as early as the beginning of this century that collective action between nations is to be more effective in controlling drugs of abuse. A number of international drug control treaties including the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, 1961, controls drugs primarily obtained from plant material (opium, coca leaves and cannabis) and synthetic analogues of morphine. The Convention on Psychotropic Substances, 1971, is aimed at controlling psychotropic substances and was formulated in Vienna in 1971. 2. The Convention on Psychotropic Substances, 1971, lays a great responsibility on the World Health Organization to recommend to the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs notifications initiated by the World Health Organization, or by a party to the Convention, regarding international control.