The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) introduced the World Drug Report 2010 at the National Press Club in Washington on June 23rd, 2010.
The Report shows that drug use is shifting towards new drugs and new markets. Drug cultivation is declining in Afghanistan (for opium) and the Andean countries (coca), and drug use has stabilized in the developed world. However, there are signs of an increase in drug use in developing countries, and growing abuse of amphetamine-type stimulants (ATS) and prescription drugs around the world.
The World Drug Report 2010 also exposes a serious insufficiency of drug treatment facilities around the world. The Report estimates that, in 2008, only approximately a fifth of problem drug users world-wide had received treatment in the past year, which means around 20 million drug dependent people that did not receive treatment. “It is time for universal access to drug treatment”, said Mr. Antonio Maria Costa, UNODC Executive Director, at the UNODC presentation at the National Press Club.
The World Drug Report 2010 further contains a chapter on the destabilizing influence of trafficking in drug transfer countries, focusing, in particular, on the case of cocaine. The report shows how under-development and weak governance attract crime, while crime, in turn, deepens instability. It shows how the wealth, violence and power resulting from drug trafficking can undermine the security, and even the sovereignty, of states.
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