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Illegal drug use slows, but treatment policies still need boost - UN report

Illegal drug use slows, but treatment policies still need boost - UN report

Antonio Costa
The spread of illicit drugs abuse has slowed after 50 years of significant growth, but more remains to be done to boost prevention and treatment policies around the globe, the United Nations says in a new report released today.

According to the World Drug Report 2004, launched today by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), some 185 million people - less than one out of 30 adults or 3 per cent of the world population aged 15 to 64 - have used illegal drugs in the past year.

The study also found that the process of extracting cocaine from coca leaves has declined by 30 per cent over the past four years.

Despite these encouraging results, "current levels of illicit drug use, together with the health consequences and criminal activities associated with it, are clearly unacceptable," UNODC chief Antonio Maria Costa said at a press conference in Moscow. He called for stronger prevention and treatment policies in response.

By far the most widely abused substance is cannabis, used at least once year by more than 150 million people. The report calls the cannabis market "buoyant" and points to increasing consumption in South America as well as expanding markets in Eastern Europe and Africa.

Cannabis use is followed by amphetamine-type stimulants, with 38 million users, 8 million of which use ecstasy. Smaller numbers of people abuse cocaine (13 million) or opiates such as heroin, morphine and opium (15 million).

In terms of health, opiates rank as the most serious problem, accounting for the majority of people seeking drug treatment in Asia and Europe. In South-East Asia, methamphetamines have become the main problem drug, UNODC said. Cocaine still comes first on the American continent as a whole, but in the United States, cocaine abuse among students has been declining.

The report was launched in conjunction with the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, which is observed each year on 26 June to commemorate the signature of the declaration adopted at the International Conference against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking in 1987.

As another part of the Day's observance, UNODC also announced a yearlong campaign to promote the importance and effectiveness of drug treatment to drug-dependent individuals, as well as to the general public.

With the theme "Drugs: treatment works," the campaign aims to diminish the stigma attached to drug users by illustrating the possibilities for a positive future, using the stories of individuals who have successfully undergone treatment and are engaged in productive lives.