‘Share Facts on Drugs, Save Lives’: CND special event emphasizes central role of data in tackling the world drug problem

Vienna (Austria), 25 June 2021 – Marking this year’s International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, the Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) today held a special event to launch the 2021 World Drug Report, which provides a wealth of information and analysis to support Member States’ efforts in implementing drug policy commitments, including in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The event was held under the overall theme for this year, ‘Share Facts on Drugs, Save Lives’, which is being rolled out to counter misinformation and promote the sharing of facts around drugs, which ranges from health risks and solutions to tackle the world drug problem, to evidence-based prevention, treatment, and care.

“Data about when, where and why people use drugs are key to develop, implement and monitor effective responses at the national, regional and global levels,” commented Dominika Krois, Chair of the CND at its sixty-fourth session, in her welcoming remarks. They are, she stressed, “a cornerstone of evidence-based policymaking and monitoring.”

Ghada Waly, UNODC Executive Director, meanwhile emphasized how promoting health and safety depend on reliable information. “Using the World Drug Report and its data as a basis,” she noted, “UNODC will continue to be a partner to the CND and to all Member States in sharing facts on drugs, in order to promote health, ease hardship, and save lives.”

Consisting of five separate booklets, the World Drug Report – which was presented by Angela Me, Chief of the UNODC Research and Trend Analysis Branch – provides an in-depth analysis of the global drug markets. It also paints a comprehensive picture of the measurable effects and potential impact of the COVID-19 crisis on the world drug problem, aiming not only at fostering greater international cooperation but also assisting Member States in anticipating and addressing challenges that may arise in the near future.

The event also provided an opportunity for young people to share their perspective, with two youth representatives, Wang Pengchao and Sarah Jul-Rasmussen, delivering statements. “The pandemic will end in the foreseeable future,” noted Wang Pengchao, “but this will also bring long-lasting impacts to the youth and the younger generation”. His co-presenter, Sarah Jul-Rasmusse, concluded with an appeal: “As youth we are ready to help create solutions. Together we can do more, so please work with us.”

The World Drug Day commemoration featured an interactive panel discussion with interventions from the members of the Bureau of the 64^th session of the CND: Miguel Camilo Ruiz Blanco, Permanent Representative of Colombia to the United Nations in Vienna; Suleiman Dauda Umar, Permanent Representative of Nigeria to the United Nations in Vienna; Begaiym Nurlan from the Permanent Mission of Kyrgyzstan to the United Nations in Vienna; as well as Jagjit Pavadia, President of the International Narcotics Control Board; and Jamie Bridge, Chair of the Vienna NGO Committee on Drugs, and saw statements made by over 30 Member States and three Civil Society Organizations.

UNODC World Drug Report 2021: pandemic effects ramp up drug risks, as youth underestimate cannabis dangers

© UNODC

VIENNA, 24 June 2021 – Around 275 million people used drugs worldwide in the last year, while over 36 million people suffered from drug use disorders, according to the 2021 World Drug Report, released today by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

The Report further noted that in the last 24 years cannabis potency had increased by as much as four times in parts of the world, even as the percentage of adolescents who perceived the drug as harmful fell by as much as 40 per cent, despite evidence that cannabis use is associated with a variety of health and other harms, especially among regular long-term users.

“Lower perception of drug use risks has been linked to higher rates of drug use, and the findings of UNODC’s 2021 World Drug Report highlight the need to close the gap between perception and reality to educate young people and safeguard public health,” said UNODC Executive Director Ghada Waly.

“The theme of this year’s International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking is “Share facts on drugs. Save lives”, emphasizing the importance of strengthening the evidence base and raising public awareness, so that the international community, governments, civil society, families and youth can make informed decisions, better target efforts to prevent and treat drug use, and tackle world drug challenges.”

According to the Report, the percentage of Δ9-THC – the main psychoactive component in cannabis – has risen from around six per cent to more than 11 per cent in Europe between 2002-2019, and around four per cent to 16 per cent in the United States between 1995-2019, while the percentage of adolescents that perceived cannabis as harmful declined by 40 per cent in the United States and by 25 per cent in Europe.

Moreover, most countries have reported a rise in the use of cannabis during the pandemic. In surveys of health professionals across 77 countries, 42 per cent asserted that cannabis use had increased. A rise in the non-medical use of pharmaceutical drugs has also been observed in the same period.

Drug Use Rising, but Science-Based Treatment More Available

Between 2010-2019 the number of people using drugs increased by 22 per cent, owing in part to global population growth. Based on demographic changes alone, current projections suggest an 11 per cent rise in the number of people who use drugs globally by 2030 — and a marked increase of 40 per cent in Africa, due to its rapidly growing and young population.

According to the latest global estimates, about 5.5 per cent of the population aged between 15 and 64 years have used drugs at least once in the past year, while 36.3 million people, or 13 per cent of the total number of persons who use drugs, suffer from drug use disorders.

Globally, over 11 million people are estimated to inject drugs, half of whom are living with Hepatitis C. Opioids continue to account for the largest burden of disease attributed to drug use.

The two pharmaceutical opioids most commonly used to treat people with opioid use disorders, methadone and buprenorphine, have become increasingly accessible over the past two decades. The amount available for medical use has increased six-fold since 1999, from 557 million daily doses to 3,317 million by 2019, indicating that science-based pharmacological treatment is more available now than in the past.

The Dark Web

Drug markets on the dark web only emerged a decade ago but major ones are now worth at least US$ 315 million in annual sales. Although this is just a fraction of overall drug sales, the trend is upwards with a fourfold increase between 2011 to mid-2017 and mid-2017 to 2020.

Rapid technological innovation, combined with the agility and adaptability of those using new platforms to sell drugs and other substances, is likely to usher in a globalized market where all drugs are more available and accessible everywhere. This, in turn, could trigger accelerated changes in patterns of drug use and entail public health implications, according to the Report.

The Drug Market Rebounds and Shifts

The new report shows that drug markets have swiftly resumed operations after the initial disruption at the onset of the pandemic; a burst that has triggered or accelerated certain pre-existing trafficking dynamics across the global drug market. Among these are: increasingly larger shipments of illicit drugs, a rise in the frequency of overland and water-way routes used for trafficking, greater use of private planes for the purpose of drug trafficking, and an upsurge in the use of contactless methods to deliver drugs to end-consumers.

The resilience of drug markets during the pandemic has demonstrated once again traffickers’ ability to adapt quickly to changed environments and circumstances.

The Report also noted that cocaine supply chains to Europe are diversifying, pushing prices down and quality up and thereby threatening Europe with a further expansion of the cocaine market. This is likely to widen the potential harm caused by the drug in the region.

The number of new psychoactive substances (NPS) emerging on the global market fell from 163 in 2013 to 71 in 2019. This reflects trends in North America, Europe and Asia. The findings suggest national and international control systems have succeeded in limiting the spread of NPS in high income countries,where NPS first emerged a decade ago.

Drug Risks, New Developments Spurred by Pandemic

COVID-19 has triggered innovation and adaptation in drug prevention and treatment services through more flexible models of service delivery. Many countries have introduced or expanded telemedicine services due to the pandemic, which for drug users means that healthcare workers can now offer counselling or initial assessments over the telephone and use electronic systems to prescribe controlled substances.

While the impact of COVID-19 on drug challenges is not yet fully known, the analysis suggests that the pandemic has brought increasing economic hardship that is likely to make illicit drug cultivation more appealing to fragile rural communities. The social impact of the pandemic – driving a rise in inequality, poverty, and mental health conditions particularly among already vulnerable populations – represent factors that could push more people into drug use.

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The World Drug Report and further content is available here: https://wdr.unodc.org/

The 2021 World Drug Report provides a global overview of the supply and demand of opiates, cocaine, cannabis, amphetamine-type stimulants and new psychoactive substances (NPS), as well as their impact on health, taking into account the possible effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Treatnet Family: Addressing adolescent substance use and related problems through family-based approaches

21 June 2021 – With adolescence an important time in building young people’s resilience towards substance use and delinquency, the protective potential of family interactions at this age is key. To promote this, UNODC has developed Treatnet Family – a science-informed training package on elements of family therapy, intended to support practitioners in the health, social and criminal justice sectors who work with youth and their families in resource limited settings.

Family therapy is an evidence-based intervention for treatment of drug use disorders recommended in the UNODC/WHO International Standards for the Treatment of Drug Use Disorders. Treatnet Family is part of the UNODC Treatnet capacity building package on drug use disorder treatment, that was designed to increase the level of knowledge and skills of professionals working in the field of substance use disorders, and a tool to assist Member States in their efforts to improve quality of drug treatment services. Following previous trainings conducted in different regions in Asia and in West Africa, most recently UNODC conducted a capacity development workshop for 35 practitioners from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Italy, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia delivering services for adolescents with substance use problems.

Held over five days in a virtual format and with simultaneous interpretation into five languages, the workshop provided an opportunity for exchange between professionals to discuss ways to address drug use disorders, particularly among youth, and to learn new skills to help families affected by substance use and associated problems. One participant shared an example on how gridlocked family interactions could be challenged, highlighting how a perspective change in asking family members to “catch their child doing something nice” rather than looking out for the problem behaviour often starts dominating family communication.

By looking at substance use problems from a systemic perspective, that considers an individual in context, the workshop provided new perspectives to practitioners, which they can apply in helping families break negative cycles in their interactions and instead explore new strategies  to communicate with each other, that have been found to be effective in reducing adolescent substance use and criminal behaviour while improving mental health.  

Towards the conclusion of the five days, the 35 participants presented their follow-up plans, with many indicating their interest to support further expansion of substance use treatment services for adolescents, including through elements of family therapy, in their countries. “For me,” one participant reflected, “finding human connection is the opposite of addiction. This is possible through Treatnet Family.”

Photo © Nick Danziger for the UNODC-WHO programme on Drug Dependence Treatment and Care