World Drug Report 2020 | UPSC

WORLD DRUG REPORT ANALYSIS 

TITLE

World Drug report 2020

PUBLISHED BY

UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) on the International Day Against Drug Abuse celebrated every year on 26th June.

THEME 2020

The theme for the 2020 International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking “Better Knowledge for Better Care”.

This emphasizes the need to improve the understanding of the world drug problem and how in turn, better knowledge will foster greater international cooperation for countering its impact on health, governance and security.

ANNUAL PREVALENCE OF DRUGS

KEY OBSERVATIONS

• OPIOID USE HAS INCREASED : Compared with earlier estimates from a survey done in 2004, overall opioid use in India is estimated to have increased fivefold.
• SEIZURES HAVE QUADRUPLED : Seizures of amphetamines across the world quadrupled between 2009 and 2018.
• RISING MARKETS : The stimulant scene is dominated by cocaine and methamphetamine, rising in their main markets.
• HIGHEST PRODUCTIONS : Production of heroin and cocaine remains among the highest levels recorded in modern times.
• POPULARITY OF DRUGS : While about 19 million people used cocaine in 2018, fuelled by the drug’s popularity in North America and Western Europe.

EXPANDING MARKETS

• METH PRODUCTION : Crystalline meth market has grown in Afghanistan and Iraq.
• In Afghanistan, meth seizures have steadily risen since 2014.

• BUDGETARY ISSUES : The report expressed concern about fewer countries taking part in joint drug operations, apparently due to budgetary problems.

ECONOMIC IMPACT

The economic downturn due to COVID-19 may leave people vulnerable to the use and trafficking of illicit drugs.

DRUG USAGE : Drug use is more prevalent in Developed countries but Drug use disorders are more common in developing countries.

Issues of developing countries

• Poverty
• Unemployment
• Stigma and social exclusion
• Deepen inequalities.