Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC)
1993-01-13
1997-04-25
Summary
The CWC prohibits the development, production, acquisition, stockpiling, retention, transfer, and use of chemical weapons. It established the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) to verify compliance through routine inspections and challenge inspections. The U.S. has destroyed its declared chemical weapons stockpile in compliance with the Convention.
Parties
U.S. Implementing Legislation
Chemical Weapons Convention Implementation Act of 1998
22 U.S.C. §§ 6701–6771
Criminalizes the production, acquisition, and use of chemical weapons by U.S. persons and establishes the legal framework for OPCW inspections on U.S. territory.
Key Cases
Bond v. United States, 572 U.S. 844 (2014) — Chemical Weapons Convention Implementation Act does not reach purely local criminal conduct
Related Treaties
Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT)
1968-07-01 · Ratified
New START Treaty (Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty)
2010-04-08 · Ratified
Treaty on Principles Governing Activities in Outer Space (Outer Space Treaty)
1967-01-27 · Ratified