Drug use prevalence is stable around the world, with around 243 millionindividuals, or 5 percent of the world’s population aged 15-64 havingused illicit drugs in the past year, according to the 2014 World DrugReport of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
Meanwhile, problem drug users numbered about 27 million, roughly 0.6percent of the world’s adult population, or 1 in every 200 people, saidthe report.
UNODC called for a stronger focus onthe health and human rights of all drug users, but particularly thosewho inject drugs.
“There remain serious gapsin service provision. In recent years, only one in six drug usersglobally has had access to or received drug dependence treatmentservices each year”, stated UNODC Executive Director Yury Fedotov,stressing that some 200,000 drug-related deaths had occurred in 2012.
The UNODC said sustainable success in drug control required firminternational commitment. A balanced and comprehensive approachaddressing both supply and demand should be backed up by evidence-basedresponses focusing on prevention, treatment, social rehabilitation andintegration.
According to the report, heroinremains a major drug of concern in several countries in Asia includingChina, Malaysia, Myanmar and Vietnam. After showing a dramatic increasebetween 2008 and 2011, heroin seizures levelled off in 2012 and 2013suggesting a stable trend, but remain at a very high level with over 9tonnes seized per year.
In the first six months of2014, Vietnamese police seized 14.1kg of opium, a sharply decrease fromthe amount of 83kg in the same period last year.-VNA
Meanwhile, problem drug users numbered about 27 million, roughly 0.6percent of the world’s adult population, or 1 in every 200 people, saidthe report.
UNODC called for a stronger focus onthe health and human rights of all drug users, but particularly thosewho inject drugs.
“There remain serious gapsin service provision. In recent years, only one in six drug usersglobally has had access to or received drug dependence treatmentservices each year”, stated UNODC Executive Director Yury Fedotov,stressing that some 200,000 drug-related deaths had occurred in 2012.
The UNODC said sustainable success in drug control required firminternational commitment. A balanced and comprehensive approachaddressing both supply and demand should be backed up by evidence-basedresponses focusing on prevention, treatment, social rehabilitation andintegration.
According to the report, heroinremains a major drug of concern in several countries in Asia includingChina, Malaysia, Myanmar and Vietnam. After showing a dramatic increasebetween 2008 and 2011, heroin seizures levelled off in 2012 and 2013suggesting a stable trend, but remain at a very high level with over 9tonnes seized per year.
In the first six months of2014, Vietnamese police seized 14.1kg of opium, a sharply decrease fromthe amount of 83kg in the same period last year.-VNA
