Established the first UN framework to control psychoactive drugs beyond opiates, amphetamines, and hallucinogens for non-medical use.
Key Facts
- Date signed
- 21 February 1971
- Entry into force
- 16 August 1976
- Member state parties (2013)
- 183 states
- Commentary published
- 1976, by Adolf Lande
- Predecessor treaty
- Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, 1961
- Successor treaty
- UN Convention Against Illicit Traffic, 1988
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
During the 1960s, psychoactive substances such as amphetamines, barbiturates, benzodiazepines, and psychedelics became widely available. The existing 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs did not cover these substances, and governments sought to restrict their use on health and moral grounds.
On 21 February 1971 in Vienna, Austria, United Nations member states signed the Convention on Psychotropic Substances, a multilateral treaty establishing import and export restrictions and controls aimed at limiting the use of psychoactive drugs to scientific and medical purposes.
The treaty entered into force in 1976 and eventually gained 183 state parties. It prompted domestic legislation worldwide, including the UK Misuse of Drugs Act and the US Psychotropic Substances Act, and became one of three core UN conventions forming the modern international drug control framework.
Political Outcome
Treaty adopted and opened for signature; entered into force 16 August 1976 with 183 state parties as of 2013, establishing international controls on psychoactive substances.
No international legal framework controlling psychoactive drugs outside of opiates and cannabis-derived substances
UN-mandated controls on amphetamines, barbiturates, benzodiazepines, and psychedelics, enforced through domestic legislation