The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has launched its annual World drug report, which shows that the number of people worldwide described as dependent on drugs increased to more than 29 million in 2014, up from around 27 million the previous year. Around 250 million people aged between 15 and 64 used at least one drug in 2014, a number that has remained stable for the past four years.
The report comes soon after April’s United Nations General Assembly Special Session (UNGASS) on the World Drug Problem, which resulted in a series of concrete recommendations that countries could adopt to reduce the impact of drugs.
Ahead of the UNGASS, UNAIDS released a report entitled Do no harm, which showed that the failure of many countries to adopt health- and human-rights based approaches had resulted in no reduction in the global number of new HIV infections among people who inject drugs between 2010 and 2014.
“By providing a comprehensive overview of major developments in drug markets, trafficking routes and the health impact of drug use, the 2016 World drug report highlights support for the comprehensive, balanced and integrated rights-based approaches as reflected in the outcome document which emerged from the United Nations General Assembly Special Session.”
Yury Fedotov Executive Director, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime
