Question: Which one of the following releases World Drug Report 2020?
(a) World Health Organization (WHO)
(b) Central Drug Standard Control Organization (CDSCO)
(c) International Conference on Harmonization (ICH)
(d) United Nations Office of Drugs and Crimes(UNODC)
Answer:(d)
Context:
United Nations Office of Drugs and Crimes(UNODC) has released the World Drug Report 2020 on the occasion of International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking.
Facts:
- United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime(UNODC): It was established in 1997 through a merger between the United Nations Drug Control Programme and the Centre for International Crime Prevention.
- Aim:To assist Member States in addressing the issues of drugs, crime and terrorism.
- Headquarters: Vienna, Austria.
About:
- By resolution 42/112 of 7 December 1987, the General Assembly decided to observe 26 June as the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking.
- The date June 26 is to commemorate Lin Zexu’s dismantling of the opium trade in Humen, Guangdong, ending in June 25 1839, just before the First Opium War in China.
- This global observance aims to raise awareness of the major problem that illicit drugs represent to society.
- The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) is the nodal agency for observing this day.
UNODC World Drug Report 2020: Key Findings
- Around 269 million people used drugs worldwide in 2018, which is 30 per cent more than in 2009, while over 35 million people suffer from drug use disorders.
- Cannabis was the most used substance worldwide in 2018, with an estimated 192 million people using it worldwide.
- Opioids, however, remain the most harmful, as over the past decade, the total number of deaths due to opioid use disorders went up 71 per cent.
- Cannabis also remains the main drug that brings people into contact with the criminal justice system, accounting for more than half of drug law offences cases.
- Adolescents and young adults account for the largest share of those using drugs.
- Impact of COVID-19: COVID-19 has caused shortages of drugs on the street, leading to increased prices and reduced purity. Rising unemployment caused by the pandemic will make poor more vulnerable to drug use and also to drug trafficking and cultivation in order to earn money.
By : Arpit Mishra