UN narcotics panel to probe drug-related crime at local level

An independent panel overseeing United Nations drug treaties will discuss the impact on local communities of drug-related crime and violence, starting today at its 78th session in Vienna.

The 13-member International Narcotics Control Board (INCB), elected by the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), which normally monitors compliance with international drug treaties, this session will "review the impact of the different forms of crime and violence associated with drug use, including violent crime perpetrated by or against individual drug users and the plight of innocent individuals caught in the crossfire of violent drug cultures," according to the UN Information Service (UNIS).

The panel will examine "localized and targeted interventions with respect to groups engaging in or at risk of violent drug related crime and on the affected communities," UNIS said.