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Single convention on narcotic drugs, 1961, as amended by the 1972 protocol amending the single convention on narcotic drugs, 1961

Entry into force: Friday, August 8, 1975

Signed by 0 countries, ratified by 185 countries

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Country Signature date Ratification date * Reservation / Declaration Comments
Afghanistan

-

Feb 19, 2015


Albania

-

Aug 14, 2001

-
Algeria

-

Feb 26, 2003

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Andorra

-

Feb 13, 2007

Reservation:

The Principality of Andorra does not consider itself bound by the provisions of paragraph 2 of article 48 which provide for a mandatory referral to the International Court of Justice of any dispute which cannot be resolved according to the terms of paragraph 1. The Government of Andorra takes the position that for any dispute to be referred to the International Court of Justice for decision the agreement of all the parties to the dispute shall be necessary in each individual case.

Angola

-

Oct 26, 2005

-
Antigua and Barbuda

-

Apr 5, 1993

-
Argentina

-

Nov 16, 1973

-
Armenia

-

Sep 13, 1993

-
Australia

-

Nov 22, 1972

-
Austria

-

Feb 1, 1978

Objections

16 December 1998

With regard to the reservation made by Viet Nam upon accession:

“Austria is of the view that the reservation raises doubts as to its compatibility with the object and purpose of the Convention concerned, in particular the fundamental principle that perpetrators of drug-related crime should be brought to justice, regardless of their whereabouts. Non-acceptance of this principle would undermine the effectiveness of the above-mentioned Convention.

Austria therefore objects to the reservation. This objection does not preclude the entry into force of the above-mentioned Convention between Austria and Viet Nam."

Azerbaijan

-

Jan 11, 1999

-
Bahamas

-

Nov 23, 1976

-
Bahrain

-

Feb 7, 1990

Reservation:

With regard to article 48, paragraph 2:

"The State of Bahrain does not recognise the compulsory jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice."

Declaration:

"Moreover, the accession by the State of Bahrain to the said Convention shall in no way constitute recognition of Israel or be a cause for the establishment of any relations of any kind therewith."

Bangladesh

-

May 9, 1980

-
Barbados

-

Jun 21, 1976

-
Belarus

-

Sep 13, 2001

-
Belgium

-

Jun 13, 1984

-
Belize

-

Dec 18, 2001

-
Benin

-

Nov 6, 1973

-
Bhutan

-

Aug 24, 2005

-
Bolivia

-

Jan 11, 2013

Reservation:

The Plurinational State of Bolivia reserves the right to allow in its territory: traditional coca
leaf chewing; the consumption and use of the coca leaf in its natural state for cultural and medicinal
purposes, such as its use in infusions; and also the cultivation, trade and possession of the coca leaf to
the extent necessary for these licit purposes.

Bosnia and Herzegovina

-

Sep 1, 1993

-
Botswana

-

Dec 27, 1984

-
Brazil

-

May 16, 1973

-
Brunei Darussalam

-

Nov 25, 1987

-
Bulgaria

-

Jul 18, 1996

-
Burkina Faso

-

Jun 2, 1992

-
Burundi

-

Feb 18, 1993

-
Cabo Verde

-

May 24, 1990

-
Cambodia

-

Jul 7, 2005

-
Cameroon

-

May 30, 1974

-
Canada

-

Aug 5, 1976

-
Central African Republic

-

Oct 15, 2001

-
Chile

-

Dec 19, 1975

-
China

-

Aug 23, 1985

Reservation:

"1. The Chinese Government has reservation on paragraph 2, article 48 of the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs of 1961 [as amended] and on paragraph 2, article 31 of the Convention on Psychotropic Substances of 1971.

Declaration:

2. The signature and ratification by the Taiwan authorities in the name of China respectively on 30 March 1961 and 12 May 1969 of the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs of 1961 and their signature of the Convention on Psychotropic Substances of 1971 on 21 February 1971 are all illegal and therefore null and void."

Colombia

-

Mar 3, 1975

-
Comoros

-

Mar 1, 2000

-
Congo

-

Mar 3, 2004

-
Costa Rica

-

Feb 14, 1973

-
Croatia

-

Jul 26, 1993

-
Cuba

-

Dec 14, 1989

-
Cyprus

-

Nov 30, 1973

-
Czech Republic

-

Dec 30, 1993

-
Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea

-

Mar 19, 2007

-
Democratic Republic of the Congo

-

Jul 15, 1976

-
Denmark

-

Apr 18, 1975

-
Djibouti

-

Feb 22, 2001

-
Dominica

-

Sep 24, 1993

-
Dominican Republic

-

Sep 21, 1993

-
Ecuador

-

Jul 25, 1973

-
Egypt

-

Jan 14, 1974

-
El Salvador

-

Feb 26, 1998

-
Eritrea

-

Jan 30, 2002

-
Estonia

-

Jul 5, 1996

-
Ethiopia

-

Oct 11, 1994

-
Fiji

-

Nov 21, 1973

-
Finland

-

Jan 12, 1973

-
France

-

Sep 4, 1975

-
Gabon

-

Oct 14, 1981

-
Gambia

-

Apr 23, 1996

-
Georgia

-

Mar 27, 2000

-
Germany

-

Feb 20, 1975

-
Ghana

-

Apr 10, 1990

-
Greece

-

Jul 12, 1985

-
Grenada

-

Aug 19, 1998

-
Guatemala

-

Dec 9, 1975

-
Guinea

-

Dec 27, 1990

-
Guinea-Bissau

-

Oct 27, 1995

-
Guyana

-

Jul 15, 2002

-
Haiti

-

Jan 29, 1973

-
Holy See

-

Jan 7, 1976

-
Honduras

-

Aug 8, 1979

-
Hungary

-

Nov 12, 1987

-
Iceland

-

Dec 18, 1974

-
India

-

Dec 14, 1978

-
Indonesia

-

Sep 3, 1976

-
Iran

-

Dec 18, 2001

-
Iraq

-

Sep 25, 1978

-
Ireland

-

Dec 16, 1980

-
Israel

-

Feb 1, 1974

-
Italy

-

Apr 14, 1975

Objection to Bolivia's reservation

“The Permanent Mission of Italy to the United Nations presents its compliments to the Secretary-General of the United Nations and has the honor to refer to the Secretary-General Depositary Notification dated 29 June 2011 (C.N. 421.2011.TREATIES-26), which communicated the denunciation by Bolivia of the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, 1961.
Italy praises the efforts by Bolivia to reduce the production and trade of illicit coca products. Italy fully respects the cultural identity and traditions of Indigenous Populations, guaranteed by the United Nations Declaration on the rights of Indigenous Peoples. However, Italy believes that the dialogue aimed at further promoting the respect of Indigenous traditions should be fully coherent with and preserve the integrity of the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs.
States that are a Party to the Single Convention undertake an obligation to limit the trade and use of narcotic drugs exclusively for medical and scientific purposes. States Parties also recognize that measures against abuse of narcotic drugs require coordinated and universal action. Schedule I to the Single Convention lists coca leaf as a narcotic drug.

Italy is therefore of the opinion that, in proposing reservations, States Parties should be guided by the object and purpose of the Single Convention. The Bolivian approach poses the risk of creating a precedent and may undermine the international anti-narcotics legal framework. This would send a negative signal, out of step with the actions undertaken so far in the fight against drug trafficking and drug use.
Moreover, the procedure applied by Bolivia - denunciation and rejoin with reservation of the 1961 Convention - is contrary to the principle of "good faith" under article 26 of the Vienna Convention on the Law of the Treaties, since it appears directed to avoid the limits established in article 49 and 50 of the Single Convention.
In light of these considerations, the Government of Italy hereby informs the Secretary-General in accordance with Article 50, paragraph 3 of the Single Convention, that it objects to the proposed reservation by Bolivia of the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs and requests that the Secretary- General inform States Parties to the Single Convention accordingly.”
Ivory Coast

-

Feb 28, 1973

-
Jamaica

-

Oct 6, 1989

-
Japan

-

Sep 27, 1973

-
Jordan

-

Feb 28, 1973

-
Kazakhstan

-

Apr 29, 1997

-
Kenya

-

Feb 9, 1973

-
Kuwait

-

Nov 7, 1973

-
Kyrgyzstan

-

Oct 7, 1994

-
Lao People's Democratic Republic

-

Mar 16, 2009

-
Latvia

-

Jul 16, 1993

-
Lebanon

-

Mar 5, 1997

-
Lesotho

-

Nov 4, 1974

-
Liberia

-

Apr 13, 1987

-
Libya

-

Sep 27, 1978

-
Liechtenstein

-

Nov 24, 1999

-
Lithuania

-

Feb 28, 1994

-
Luxembourg

-

Oct 13, 1976

-
Madagascar

-

Jun 20, 1974

-
Malawi

-

Oct 4, 1973

-
Malaysia

-

Apr 20, 1978

-
Maldives

-

Sep 7, 2000

-
Mali

-

Oct 31, 1995

-
Malta

-

Feb 22, 1990

-
Marshall Islands

-

Aug 9, 1991

-
Mauritania

-

Oct 24, 1989

-
Mauritius

-

Dec 12, 1994

-
Mexico

-

Apr 27, 1977

-
Micronesia, Federated States of

-

May 29, 1991

-
Monaco

-

Dec 30, 1975

-
Mongolia

-

May 6, 1991

-
Montenegro

-

Oct 23, 2006

-
Morocco

-

Mar 19, 2002

-
Mozambique

-

Jun 8, 1998

-
Myanmar

-

Aug 22, 2003

-
Namibia

-

Mar 31, 1998

-
Nepal

-

Jun 29, 1987

"His Majesty's Government of Nepal in accordance with article 49 paragraph 1 of the said Convention hereby reserves the right to permit temporarily in its territory:

i. the quasi-medical use of opium;

ii. The use of cannabis, cannabis resin, extracts and tinctures of cannabis for non-medical purposes; and

iii. The production and manufacture of and trade in the drugs referred to under (i) and (ii) above."

Netherlands

-

May 29, 1987

-
New Zealand

-

Jun 7, 1990

-
Nicaragua

-

Feb 15, 2005

-
Niger

-

Dec 28, 1973

-
Nigeria

-

Jun 24, 1981

-
Norway

-

Nov 12, 1973

-
Oman

-

Jul 24, 1987

-
Pakistan

-

Jul 2, 1999

-
Palau

-

Aug 19, 1998

-
Panama

-

Oct 19, 1972

-
Papua New Guinea

-

Oct 28, 1980

-
Paraguay

-

Jun 20, 1973

-
Peru

-

Sep 12, 1977

-
Philippines

-

Jun 7, 1974

-
Poland

-

Jun 9, 1993

-
Portugal

-

Apr 20, 1979

-
Qatar

-

Oct 3, 1986

-
Republic of Korea

-

Jan 25, 1973

-
Republic of Moldova

-

Feb 15, 1995

-
Romania

-

Jan 14, 1974

-
Russian Federation

-

Jun 3, 1996

-
Rwanda

-

Jul 15, 1981

-
Saint Kitts and Nevis

-

May 9, 1994

-
Saint Lucia

-

Jul 5, 1991

-
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

-

Dec 3, 2001

-
San Marino

-

Oct 10, 2000

-
Sao Tome and Principe

-

Jun 20, 1996

-
Saudi Arabia

-

Nov 7, 1997

Reservation:

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will not be bound by article 48, paragraph 2, of the Convention.

Senegal

-

Mar 25, 1974

-
Serbia

-

Mar 12, 2001

-
Seychelles

-

Feb 27, 1992

-
Sierra Leone

-

Jun 6, 1994

-
Singapore

-

Jul 9, 1975

-
Slovakia

-

May 28, 1993

-
Slovenia

-

Jul 6, 1992

-
Solomon Islands

-

Mar 17, 1982

-
Somalia

-

Jun 9, 1988

-
South Africa

-

Dec 16, 1975

-
Spain

-

Jan 4, 1977

-
Sri Lanka

-

Jun 29, 1981

-
Sudan

-

Jul 5, 1994

-
Suriname

-

Mar 29, 1990

-
Swaziland

-

Oct 18, 1995

-
Sweden

-

Dec 5, 1972

Objections

14 December 1998

With regard to the reservation made by Viet Nam upon accession:

“The Government of Sweden is of the view that the reservation made by the Government of Viet Nam regarding article 36, paragraph 2 subparagraph (b) may raise doubts as to the commitment of Viet Nam to the object and purpose of the Convention.

...

It is in the common interest of States that treaties to which they have chosen to become parties are respected as to their object and purpose by all parties, and that States are prepared to undertake any legislative changes necessary to comply with their obligations under the treaties.

Furthermore, according to the Vienna Convention on the law of Treaties of 23 May 1969, and well-established customary international law, a reservation contrary to the object and purpose of the treaty shall not be permitted.

The Government of Sweden therefore objects to the aforesaid [reservation] by the Government of Viet Nam.

[This objection does] not preclude the entry into force of the [Convention] between Viet Nam and Sweden. The [Convention] will thus become operative berween the two States without Viet Nam benefiting from the [reservation].”


Objection to Bolivia's reservation

“The Permanent Mission of Sweden to the United Nations presents its compliments to the Secretary-General of the United Nations acting in his capacity as treaty deposit[a]ry and has the honor to refer to the Secretary-General's note C.N.829.2011.TREATIES-28 (Depositary Notification), dated January 10, 2012, which communicated that the Secretary-General has received from the Plurinational State of Bolivia an instrument of accession to the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, 1961, as amended (the Convention), with a proposed reservation submitted in accordance with Article 50, paragraph 3 of the Convention.
The Government of Sweden fully recognizes the efforts of the Plurinational State of Bolivia to reduce the production and trade in illicit coca products. Sweden also understands the concerns that the Government of the Plurinational State of Bolivia has expressed concerning the United Nations' drug control conventions and the traditional coca leaf chewing.

The United Nations' drug control conventions are the corner stones of the international legal framework for the fight against drugs. An exemption for coca leaf chewing and the growing of coca plants for this purpose risks to undermine this system and to weaken the control over cocaine production. Furthermore, the ambition expressed in the convention is the successive prohibition also of traditional uses of drugs, the chewing of coca leaves being explicitly mentioned.
The Government of Sweden has serious concerns regarding the procedure followed by the Plurinational State of Bolivia with denunciation of the Convention followed by immediate re-accession with a reservation. While article 46 of the Convention provides that any Party may denounce the Convention, the denunciation should in no case be used by a State Party for the sole purpose of formulating reservations to the Convention after re-accession. Such practice would constitute a misuse of the procedure and would undermine the basis of international treaty law and the international legal framework for the fight against drugs.
For these reasons the Government of Sweden objects to the proposed reservation by the Plurinational State of Bolivia.”
Switzerland

-

Apr 22, 1996

-
Syrian Arab Republic

-

Feb 1, 1974

-
Tajikistan

-

Mar 26, 1997

-
Thailand

-

Jan 9, 1975

-
The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia

-

Oct 13, 1993

-
Togo

-

Nov 10, 1976

-
Tonga

-

Sep 5, 1973

-
Trinidad and Tobago

-

Jul 23, 1979

-
Tunisia

-

Jun 29, 1976

-
Turkey

-

Jul 20, 2001

-
Turkmenistan

-

Feb 21, 1996

-
Uganda

-

Apr 15, 1988

-
Ukraine

-

Sep 27, 2001

-
United Arab Emirates

-

Feb 17, 1988

-
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

-

Jun 20, 1978

Objections

17 December 1998

With regard to the reservation to article 36 (2)(b) made by Viet Nam upon accession:

“The United Kingdom is not in a position to accept [the] reservation."

The above objection is not however to constitute an obstacle to the entry into force of the said [Convention] as between Vietnam and the United Kingdom.”

Objection to the reservation made by Bolivia


“The United Kingdom Mission to the United Nations presents its compliments to the Secretary-General of the United Nations acting in his capacity as treaty depository and refers to his note C.N.829.2011.TREATIES-28 (Depositary Notification) of 10 January 2012, which outlined that an instrument of accession to the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs had been received from the Plurinational State of Bolivia with a proposed reservation submitted in accordance with Article 50, paragraph 3 of the Convention.
The United Kingdom acknowledges and respects the cultural importance of the coca leaf in Bolivia. The United Kingdom also understands that the Bolivian government considers it an integral part of Bolivian heritage and that the use of coca for traditional purposes has been established as a cultural right in the Constitution of the Plurinational State of Bolivia. The United Kingdom also welcomes the recent reductions in coca production in Bolivia, as outlined in the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime 2011 National Coca Monitoring Survey.
The United Kingdom is, however, concerned that the reservation could lead to increases in coca production and –crucially- the amount of coca diverted to the cocaine trade. As such, the reservation would weaken international law as it relates to the global effort to tackle the drugs trade and could weaken the international community’s response to that trade. Therefore, the United Kingdom objects to the proposed reservation and requests that the Secretary-General inform States Parties to the Single Convention accordingly.”
United Republic of Tanzania

-

Mar 25, 1999

-
United States of America

-

Nov 1, 1972


OBJECTION TO THE RESERVATION CONTAINED IN THE COMMUNICATION BY THE PLURINATIONAL STATE OF BOLIVIA

The Secretary-General of the United Nati
ons, acting in his capacity as depositary,communicates the following:

The above action was effected on 3 July 2012.

“The United States Mission to the United Nations presents its compliments to the United
Nations and refers to the Secretary-General’s note C.N.829.2011.TREATIES-28 (DepositaryNotification), dated January 10, 2012, which communicated that the Secretary-General had received
from the Plurinational State of Bolivia an instrume
nt of accession to the Single Convention on Narcotic
Drugs, 1961, as amended (the Convention), with a proposed reservation submitted in accordance with Article 50, paragraph 3 of the Convention.
The Mission informs the United Nations that the United States objects to the proposed reservation. The United States considers the Convention to be one of the cornerstones of international
efforts to prevent the illicit production, manufacture, traffic in and abuse of drugs, while ensuring that licit drugs are available for medical and scientific
purposes. The United States is concerned that Bolivia's reservation is likely to lead to a greater supply of available coca, and as a result, more cocaine
will be available for the global cocaine market, further fueling narcotics trafficking and related criminal activities in Bolivia and the countries along the cocaine trafficking route.
The United States welcomes Bolivia's renewed commitment to continue to take all necessary legal measures to control the illicit cultivation of coca in order to prevent its abuse and the illicit production of the narcotic drugs which may be extracted from the leaf.

Should Bolivia’s reservation be deemed to be permitted in accordance with Article 50,
paragraph 3 of the Convention, this objection would not constitute an obstacle to the entry into force of the Convention between the United States and Bolivia, but the United States would not assume toward Bolivia any legal obligation under the Convention that is affected by the reservation.”

Uruguay

-

Oct 31, 1975

-
Uzbekistan

-

Aug 24, 1995

-
Venezuela

-

Dec 4, 1985

-
Viet Nam

-

Nov 4, 1997

Reservation:

[The Government of Viet Nam declares its reservation to] article 36, paragraph 2, point b on Extradition and article 48, paragraph 2 on Dispute settlement.

Yemen

-

Mar 25, 1996

-
Zambia

-

May 13, 1998

-
Zimbabwe

-

Jul 30, 1993

-