The 1971 Convention extends international control to cover synthetic psychotropic substances, such as LSD and MDMA, as well as their precursor chemicals. There is no system of estimates in the 1971 Convention, but it does retain a statistical returns system similar to that of the 1961 Single Convention. Its control system is therefore considerably weaker than that of the 1961 Single Convention. This is due in large part to the strong pharmaceutical lobby keen to draw a balance between, on the one hand, using controls to protect the interests of established producers from new competitors, and on the other, continuing to expand production and worldwide marketing by ensuring that such controls did not go too far.
International drug control law is arguably one of the more obscure areas of international law. With near universal ratification of the three international drug control treaties, however, and with national laws in many countries reflecting their terms, this area of international law has been and continues to be very influential.
Each treaty encourages, and in some instances requires, criminal sanctions to be put in place at the national level. Collectively, in more than 110 articles covering many areas that impact upon human rights, such as extradition, crop eradication and penalties, there is only one, limited reference to human rights.
Ostensibly there are two main aims to the drug control treaties – to limit supply of and demand for controlled substances for non-scientific or medical purposes, and to ensure access to those substances for scientific and medical purposes. Traditionally the overwhelming focus, however, has been on the former.