Drug Abuse is a problem in most countries of the world. The first international drug abuse controls was instituted following the Opium Commission in Shanghai in 1909. Various United Nations Conventions were amalgamated in the '1961 Single Conventions of Narcotic Drugs' which was restricting the sale and use of dfferent substances to medical purposes. In 1971, an international control system was established by the 'Convention on Psychotropic Substances'. This control system lists the pharmaceutical drugs and other substances that affect the mind. In 1988, a Convention about drug trafficking included provisions against money laudering and the division of chemicals used in the manufacture of illicit drugs.
Facts:
* Cannabis is the most widely consumed drug worldwide.
* Heroin- abuse is reported by tree- quarters of all countries.
* Cocaine abuse is reported by two-thirds of al countries.
There are a range of problems related to drug abuse including:
Increased rates of crime and violence
Susceptibility to HIV/ AIDS and hepatits
A demand for resources for treatment and emergency room units
A breakdown in social behaviour
In 1998, the Un General Assembly held a special session on the problem of drug abuse worldwide. Reducing the demand for drugs was assessed as being an essential pillar in the global effort to fight drug abuse and trafficing. Member states committed to reduce both the supply of and demand for drugs significantly by 2008, which was expressed in the 'Political Declaration on the Guiding Principles of Drug Demand Reduction'.
The Global Assessment Programe
The Global Assessment Programe was launched in 1998 due to the need for up- to- date statistics on who is using drugs and why. The global information base on patterns and trends in drug consumption is crusial in order to reduce and eliminate drug abuse.
Prevention
United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) is assessing Member States in developing prevention activities in order to deal with the range of issues which put people of a community, especially the young, at risk of drug abuse.
