International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking: Importance of the Theme of World Drug Day 2024

NEW DELHI: Drug abuse remains a major problem across the world, affecting not only physical but also mental health. Understanding the need to resolve the problem, World Drug Day is officially celebrated on June 26.

Its objective is to raise awareness, strengthen initiatives and improve coordination among nations to achieve the desired goal.

This day serves as an annual reminder of the need for international cooperation to combat the global drug problem. It emphasizes prevention, treatment, rehabilitation and law enforcement as integral components of comprehensive drug control strategies.

Why is Drug Day celebrated?

This day was established by the United Nations General Assembly in December 1987 through resolution 42/112. It is a concerted global effort to address growing concerns about drug abuse and illicit trafficking.

The date June 26 was chosen to commemorate the signing of the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs in 1961. This international treaty aimed to combat drug abuse and illicit trafficking by coordinating efforts between nations.

Over the years, this day has attracted broad international participation from governments, organizations and communities around the world.

Importance

Drug abuse has become a global problem that requires a comprehensive multinational approach. According to the executive director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), around 64 million people worldwide suffer from drug use disorders, while hundreds of thousands lose their lives to cause of drug use each year and that approximately 14 million people worldwide inject drugs. medications, making them much more likely to contract HIV and hepatitis C.

Not only does this problem affect individuals at the individual level, but its impact at the community level can also manifest itself where it leads to illegal drug trafficking and organized crime in society. It is therefore essential to adopt an evidence-based approach that prioritizes prevention and treatment.

Theme 2024: “The evidence is clear: invest in prevention”

This year’s theme was chosen as “The evidence is clear: investing in prevention”. The selection of this theme highlights the importance of effective drug policies which must be based on science, research, compassion, full respect for human rights and a thorough understanding of the social, economic and health impacts of drug use.

This year's World Drug Day is a call to:

1. Increase awareness and understanding: Promote awareness of the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of evidence-based prevention strategies to mitigate drug-related harm.

2. Advocate for increased investment: encourage governments, policymakers and law enforcement to invest more in prevention efforts, emphasizing the long-term benefits of early intervention.

3. Empower Communities: Provide communities with the tools and resources needed to implement evidence-based prevention initiatives that promote resilience and community-based solutions to drug use.

4. Facilitate dialogue and collaboration: Promote dialogue and collaboration among stakeholders to improve evidence-based prevention practices and policies, fostering an environment conducive to knowledge sharing and innovation.

5. Promote evidence-based policymaking: advocate for evidence-based policymaking at national and international levels, ensuring that drug policies are based on research scientific and informed by best practices to effectively combat drug trafficking and organized crime on a global scale.

World Drug Report 2023

UNODC publishes an annual World Drug Report, based on a scientific approach and research. It contains factual data as well as key statistics collected from official sources.

This year's report was released on June 26, 2024. According to the report, the new data brings the global estimate of people who inject drugs in 2021 to 13.2 million, 18% higher than previous estimates . Globally, more than 296 million people used drugs in 2021, an increase of 23% from the previous decade. The number of people suffering from drug use disorders, meanwhile, has skyrocketed to 39.5 million, a 45% increase in 10 years.

The World Drug Report 2023 highlights the profound impact of social and economic inequalities on drug problems, which fuel and are exacerbated by these challenges. It also highlights the environmental destruction and human rights violations caused by illicit drug economies, as well as the growing importance of synthetic drugs.

The report found a significant gap in meeting demand for treatment of drug use disorders. In 2021, only one in five people with drug use disorders received treatment, highlighting growing disparities in access to treatment across regions.

Youth populations are particularly vulnerable to drug use and experience more serious consequences of substance use disorders in various regions of the world. In Africa, for example, 70 percent of people on treatment are under 35, highlighting the disproportionate impact on the younger population.

Here are the key takeaways from the report:-

• The new estimates of the number of people who inject drugs are higher than previous estimates because treatment services and other interventions are insufficient, including for record numbers of people displaced by humanitarian crises.
• “Cheap and easy to use” synthetic drugs are changing drug markets with deadly consequences.
• Drug trafficking is accelerating environmental devastation and crime in the Amazon basin.
• Increased monitoring of public health impacts is needed amid rapid regulatory changes and clinical trials of psychedelics.