The Anti-Death Penalty Asia Network (ADPAN) welcomes the recent development in the United  Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs on 2 December 2020 where marijuana and its derivative  were removed from Schedule IV of the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs. 

The removal of marijuana from the strictest control schedule reflects the shifting trends and  modern understanding of the use of marijuana as part of medical therapy and recreational use  across the globe. With this change at the global level, nation states must consider this  development to take positive steps to review, implement or when appropriate, expedite changes  to the legal status of marijuana within their own jurisdictions. 

ADPAN calls for all Asia-Pacific states to immediately take heed of the development and  implement the necessary legal measures and reform to reflect the change in policy at the global  level. Countries where drug laws carry the death penalty for possession or trafficking of  marijuana must immediately implement a moratorium on executions and ensure individuals on  death row whose cases involve marijuana possession or trafficking are not executed pending the  adoption of the new classification for marijuana globally and domestically.  

The death penalty has been proven to be an ineffective deterrent in addressing crimes and should  not hold a place in any modern criminal justice system. Rehabilitation and harm reduction must  be the key foundations of any policies on crime.