section_path: History/Adoption of the recommendation/Delays prior to the vote and intergovernmental discussions at the United Nations
section_name: Delays prior to the vote and intergovernmental discussions at the United Nations
paragraph_text: Delays prior to the vote and intergovernmental discussions at the United Nations
  
  Although in general, the Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) votes on ECDD recommendations at its next available session after WHO Director-General communicates them, "this particular voting was subject to repeated delays, not only due to the complexity and interconnectedness of the recommendations, but also to organisational problems at WHO leadership and burdensome governmental discussions organised by the successive CND Chairs"
  
  The vote was finally held during a reconvened session of the commission, which is highly unusual. In addition, problems and restrictions linked to the COVID-19 pandemic difficulted the organization of the vote and led to unprecedented breaches in voting procedures, and "hampered the appropriate involvement of civil society stakeholders." Ahead of the vote, dozens of organizations of medical cannabis patients from around the world submitted a joint statement titled "Support patient access to medicine, vote yes!"