Question 1

What has Palau formally requested?

Accepted Answer

The Republic of Palau has notified the UN Secretary-General under Article 2 of the 1971 Convention on Psychotropic Substances, requesting a critical review of nicotine by the WHO Expert Committee on Drug Dependence — a formal scientific assessment of whether nicotine meets the criteria for international scheduling.

Question 2

What happens after the notification?

Accepted Answer

The WHO Secretariat commissions a critical review, drawing on the supporting dossier and any additional evidence. The Expert Committee meets to assess the substance and, if it concludes the criteria are met, issues a scheduling recommendation to the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND), which votes by two-thirds majority.

Question 3

Can the Expert Committee decline to review nicotine?

Accepted Answer

Under the 2010 WHO Guidelines, a Party notification under Article 2 of the 1971 Convention is one of four named triggers for a critical review. The Secretariat has procedural discretion on timing, but the notification creates an institutional obligation to evaluate the substance.

Question 4

What happens if the CND vote fails?

Accepted Answer

Even if the CND does not vote to schedule nicotine, the ECDD's independent scientific assessment will be on the public record — the first such assessment under the UN system — informing FCTC deliberations and any future scheduling attempt.

Question 5

What criteria does the WHO use to evaluate a substance?

Accepted Answer

The Expert Committee assesses substances against criteria covering dependence potential, abuse risk, threat to public health, therapeutic value, pharmacology, toxicology and epidemiology — the same criteria applied to all substances reviewed under the 1971 Convention.

Question 6

Has this process been used before?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Over 450 substances have been scheduled under the UN drug-control conventions. Amineptine, an antidepressant with high abuse potential, was placed under international controls in 2003 following a WHO critical review, with medical access preserved via the Convention's exemption mechanism.

Question 7

How does this relate to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control?

Accepted Answer

The FCTC regulates tobacco products, not nicotine as a molecule. Palau's notification is designed to complement it: scheduling nicotine under the 1971 Convention would target the molecule wherever it appears, including in synthetic nicotine and novel delivery systems outside the FCTC's scope.

Question 8

What is a psychotropic substance?

Accepted Answer

A psychotropic substance is any chemical that acts on the brain and central nervous system, altering mood, perception, consciousness or behaviour.

Question 9

Has nicotine been reviewed by the WHO ECDD before?

Accepted Answer

In 1996 the ECDD pre-reviewed nicotine only as it appeared in low-dose nicotine replacement therapies. It concluded those therapeutic preparations did not reach the psychotropic thresholds of the 1971 Convention, and noted a future review would be warranted if new information emerged about the abuse liability of new nicotine products.

Question 10

Why is a review warranted now?

Accepted Answer

The nicotine market has transformed since the 1990s. Today's e-cigarettes deliver nicotine as fast as a cigarette, and e-cigarettes and oral nicotine pouches can deliver higher doses than a cigarette. Synthetic nicotine has decoupled the molecule from the tobacco plant, placing it outside tobacco-specific frameworks.

Question 11

How does scheduling relate to the existing tobacco control framework?

Accepted Answer

The FCTC regulates tobacco products; scheduling nicotine under the 1971 Convention would operate at the molecule level across all forms, including synthetic nicotine, adding a molecule-based layer of control alongside the FCTC's product-based framework.

Question 12

Who decides which schedule nicotine would fall under?

Accepted Answer

The 1971 Convention has four schedules. The WHO Expert Committee assesses the evidence and advises on an appropriate schedule. The CND — 53 member states on a rotating basis — makes the final decision by two-thirds majority vote.

Question 13

What would scheduling require of governments?

Accepted Answer

In general, scheduling under the 1971 Convention requires countries to introduce licensing controls over manufacture, distribution and trade, and to report production and trade data to the International Narcotics Control Board. National governments retain authority over domestic access.

Question 14

How does it affect people who use tobacco?

Accepted Answer

Scheduling operates at the level of manufacturers and distributors, not individual users. The international drug conventions do not criminalise personal use or possession. WHO-recommended nicotine replacement therapies could qualify for the Convention's exemption mechanism.

Question 15

What happens to nicotine replacement therapies?

Accepted Answer

The 1971 Convention includes a mechanism to protect medicines with proven medical use and low abuse potential. WHO-recommended NRTs — patches, gums, lozenges, inhalers — could qualify under this mechanism, subject to member-state decision.

Question 16

What is the timeline once a scheduling decision is made?

Accepted Answer

If the CND votes to schedule nicotine, the decision becomes effective 180 days after the UN Secretary-General formally notifies Parties. During that period, Parties update national laws, establish licensing and monitoring systems, and bring non-exempt nicotine products under controlled-substance frameworks.

Question 17

Can other countries support this process?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Any party to the 1971 Convention can submit its own notification to the UN Secretary-General, or formally express support for an existing notification. Countries can email contact@nicotinereview.org for procedural guidance.

Question 18

What does supporting the notification require?

Accepted Answer

A supporting notification follows the same process as an initiating one — a formal letter to the UN Secretary-General under Article 2 of the 1971 Convention, signed by a competent national authority and transmitted via the country's Permanent Mission to the United Nations.

Frequently asked questions

About this initiative

The science and history

What scheduling means in practice

For governments