The United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) is the central drug policy-making body within the United Nations system. During the 69th Session (March 9 to 13, 2026), SSDP was able to bring several young people to Vienna, Austria to make their voices heard. In this installment of a blog series capturing their reflections, Brooke Shockey Sanders looks back on her second visit to the Vienna International Center and what she saw as a young scientist focused on ending the Global War on Drugs…

This year was my second consecutive year attending the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs (UN CND) in Vienna, Austria. The UN CND is a conference held at the Vienna International Center that focuses on international drug scheduling and crime. 

As a Neuroscience PhD student who specializes in cannabinoid biochemistry, I believe that it is important to engage in conversations with cannabis outside of the laboratory setting. This year, MDMB-FUBINACA, a synthetic CB1 agonist used widely in research, was proposed to move from being unscheduled, to be placed in Schedule II Status under the UN CND 1971 Convention. This proposal appears seemingly random, as there are very few reports of recreational use of this substance. Unfortunately, this is anything but random – this is a perpetuation of the War on Drugs and an insidious attempt to block cannabis research science. 

I experienced similar patterns between the UN CND 68th and this year’s 69th session. At both conferences, we have witnessed cannabinoids being spoken about in conversation, with no discussion of the harms that scheduling will have to scientific and medical research. For example, MDMB-FUBINACA is currently being studied in the context of therapeutic targets for angiogenesis disorders, such as Alzheimer’s disease and cancer. If MDMB-FUBINACA was placed under Schedule II status, research would be put on hold globally. This would cause additional barriers for those trying to research diseases with a large global prevalence rate. While scientists would be working to obtain a government research license, the mortality rate of these disorders will continue to increase. Scheduling slows the progression of the development of therapeutic compounds, while lives are continuously lost. 

Scientific and public health conversations are vital to be had at the CND, as it compliments the decisions being made in policy. As a scientist, and an ambassador of SSDP, I was able to bring these subjects into rooms focused on global change. Many of the conversations being had focused on crime, not on prioritizing science, community, and people first. It is vital to show up as an advocate, versed in science and policy, to help bring new perspectives to those who might not consider these factors. The UN CND is always an incredible learning opportunity to become better engaged in how drugs and youth are being spoken about on an international level. As a young leader, there should be no conversations about us, without us.