The International Day against drug abuse and illicit trafficking is observed today. It’s also known by another name, ‘World Drug Day’.
The UN reports that in 2018, 269 million people worldwide used drugs. This number is 30% more than what was reported in 2009. Of these people, over 35 million suffer from disorders of drug use.
The United Nations General Assembly took the decision to mark the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking on 7 December 1987. This occurred via resolution 42/112.
The assembly’s key objective was to strengthen cooperation and global action in making the world free of drug abuse and its consequences.
Every year, on 26 June, the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking is observed. It aims to bring light to the extreme economic, psychological, and cultural harm that the trade is doing across the world.
We can never tackle the cultivation, trafficking, or production of drugs completely if we do not reduce the demand for such illicit drugs. In order to tackle the main issue, different organizations and communities from all over the world are invested.
Their main principle is to promote general welfare to humans and to protect the youth especially. The theme of International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking in 2020 is ‘Better Knowledge for Better Care’. The theme’s focal point is that we need to improve our knowledge on the issue.
We need to further understand the drug problems in the world and how strengthened knowledge can help. Increased international collaboration is necessary to defend against the impact on security, health, and governance.
Keeping this in mind, we’d like to equip you with some basic information about the issues.
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Drug abuse
It’s also known as “drug addiction” and it is a social, psychiatric, and psychological problem that affects people of all ages. Once you’re addicted to drugs, it can create fear and anxiety in people.
It affects a person physically, socially, emotionally, culturally, and economically as well. Despite this people cannot resist the desire to use them.
Drug abuse isn’t just limited to hard drugs like cocaine and heroin. One can also get addicted to opioid painkillers, nicotine, and alcohol.
Addiction to such kinds of drugs can cause sleeplessness, severe loss of weight, and it directly affects the grey matter of the brain. This makes it difficult for the nervous system to properly respond.
Illicit Drug Trafficking
This is an international and illegal trade that involves the cultivation, production, and dissemination of illegal substances. All of these activities, especially the sale of substances, break the basic laws.
In order to study the problem, a branch of the U.N. monitored and researched the international drug markets that are illegal. It found that the main drug trafficking areas are the Balkan areas and the Northern trade routes.
These routes link Afghanistan to massive drug markets in Western and Eastern Continents.
The illicit drug trade is estimated to have snagged 1% of the global trade in the year 2003. The consumption of such drugs and their popularity is difficult for authorities to stop.