42/112. International Conference on Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking
The General Assembly,
Recalling its resolution 40/122 of 13 December 1985, by which it decided to convene in 1987, in response to the initiative of the Secretary-General, an International Conference on Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking at the ministerial level, at Vienna, with the mandate to generate universal action, and as an expression of the political will of nations to combat the drug menace and as a means of tackling the serious and complex international drug problem in all its forms, Recalling also its resolution 41/125 of 4 December 1986,
Taking into consideration Economic and Social Council decision 1987/127 of 26 May 1987,
Having considered the report of the Secretary-General on the International Conference on Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking,
Expressing its determination to strengthen action and co-operation at the national, regional and international levels towards the goal of an international society free of drug abuse, Noting the need for a review and assessment of the follow-up activities to the Conference, Noting with appreciation the offer of the Government of Bolivia to act as host to a second in terna tion al conference,
1. Takes note of the report ofthe Internationa1 Conference on Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, and welcomes the successfull conclusion of the Conference, in particular the adoption of the Declaration 122 and the Comprehensive Multidisciplinary Outline of Future Activities in Drug Abuse Control;
2. Affirms its commitment to the Declaration of the International Conference on Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking as an expression of the political will of nations to combat the drug menace;
3. Urges Governments and organizations, in formulating programmes, to take due account of the framework provided by the Comprehensive Multidisciplinary Outline of Future Activities in Drug Abuse Control as a repertory of recommendations setting forth practical measures that can contribute to the fight against drug abuse and illicit trafficking;
4. Requests the Secretary-General to make available, within existing resources, an adequate number of copies of the Declaration and the Comprehensive Multidisciplinary Outline of Future Activities in Drug Abuse Control;
5. Decides to observe 26 June each year as the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking;
6. Appeals to Member States to provide additional resources to the United Nations Fund for Drug Abuse Control as a priority goal in the follow-up activities to the Conference to enable it to strengthen its co-operation with the developing countries in their efforts to implement drug control programmes;
7. Requests the Commission on Narcotic Drugs, as the principal United Nations policy-making body on drug control, to identify suitable measures for foIlow-up to the International Conference on Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking and, in this context, to give appropriate consideration to the report of the Secretary-General on the Conference;
8. Requests the Secretary-General to report to the General Assembly at its forty-third session on the implementation of the present reso1ution.
93rd plenary meeting
7 December 1987
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 as an expression of its determination to strengthen action and cooperation to achieve the goal of an international society free of drug abuse. This resolution recommended further action with regard to the report and conclusions of the 1987 International Conference on Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking.
Your life. Your community. No place for drugs
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) leads the international campaign aimed at raising awareness of the major problem that illicit drugs represent to society and especially to young people. The goal of the campaign, which runs from 2007 to 2009, is to inspire people and mobilize support for drug control.
The international campaign "Do drugs control your life? Your life. Your community. No place for drugs" communicates that the destructive effects of illicit drugs concern us all. Their use harms individuals, families and society at large. Drugs control the body and mind of individual consumers, the drug crop and drug cartels control farmers, trafficking and crime control communities.
Teenagers and young adults are particularly vulnerable to using illicit drugs. The prevalence of drug use among young people is more than twice as high as that among the general population. At this age, peer pressure to experiment with illicit drugs can be strong and self-esteem is often low. Also, those who take drugs tend to be either misinformed or insufficiently aware of the health risks involved.
Health comes first
The UNODC campaign reaches out to young people, who often talk about the "highs" induced by illicit drugs but may not be aware of the many "lows". Illicit drug use is a concern because it poses a threat to their health. Negative effects vary depending on the type of drug consumed, the doses taken and the frequency of use. All illicit drugs have immediate physical effects, but they can also severely hinder psychological and emotional development, especially among young people.
Leading a healthy lifestyle requires making choices that are respectful of body and mind. To make these choices, young people need guidance from role models and need to get the facts about drug use. The international campaign provides young people and others with tools to educate themselves about the health risks associated with illicit drug use.
Get the facts about drugs
The UNODC campaign focuses only on drugs under international control. These are drugs Member States have decided to limit exclusively to medical and scientific purposes, given the adverse effects their abuse and trafficking have on health and society. These illicit drugs include amphetamine-type stimulants (ATS), coca/cocaine, cannabis, hallucinogens, opiates, and sedative hypnotics.
Drug prevention, treatment and care
UNODC advocates that 'nothing less' should be provided for the prevention of drug use and the treatment and care of drug dependence than what is provided for other health problems, that is: ethical interventions based on scientific evidence.
UNODC and illicit drugs facts
UNODC has a two pronged approach to the topic of illicit drugs. We have both a research component and a drug abuse prevention and drug dependence treatment and rehabilitation component.
International Narcotics Control Board
The International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) is the independent and quasi-judicial control organ monitoring the implementation of the United Nations drug control conventions. Although the INCB secretariat is an administrative entity of UNODC, it reports solely to the Board on matters of substance.
Drug prevention, treatment and care
UNODC advocates that 'nothing less' should be provided for the prevention of drug use and the treatment and care of drug dependence than what is provided for other health problems, that is: ethical interventions based on scientific evidence.
Information about drugs
For a brief description for the main categories of illicit drugs, see the brochure Get the facts about drugs (pdf).
For basic scientific information on selected drugs of abuse, their abuse patterns, pharmacological effects and medical use, see the brochure Terminology and information on drugs (pdf), produced by the UNODC Laboratory and Scientific Section.
The following discussion of specific substances is not exhaustive.
Drug
This is a term of varied usage. In medicine, it refers to any substance with the potential to prevent or cure disease or enhance physical or mental welfare. In pharmacology, it means any chemical agent that alters the biochemical or physiological processes of tissues or organisms.
In the context of international drug control, "drug" means any of the substances listed in Schedule I and II of the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, whether natural or synthetic.
Licit/illicit drugs
The United Nations drug control conventions do not recognize a distinction between licit and illicit drug, they describe only use to be licit or illicit. Here, the term illicit drugs is used to describe drugs which are under international control (and which may or may not have licit medical purposes) but which are produced, trafficked and/or consumed illicitly.
Drug types
Drug types are described in various ways, depending on origin and effect. They can either be naturally occurring, semi synthetic (chemical manipulations of substances extracted from natural materials) or synthetic (created entirely by laboratory manipulation). The main categories are:
Opiates
Opiates is the generic name given to a group which includes naturally occurring drugs derived from the opium poppy (Papaver somniferum) such as opium, morphine and codeine, semi-synthetic substances such as heroin (the foregoing are opiates in the strictly correct definition); and opioids - 'opiate-like', wholly synthetic products such as methadone, pethidine and fentanyl. Opiates depress the central nervous system and are used therapeutically as analgesics (painkillers), as cough suppressants and against diarrhoea; in non medical usage as euphoriants and as a means of reducing anxiety, boredom, physical or emotional pain. Heroin is often the opiate preferred by consumers because it is relatively potent, easily dissolved in water for injecting and penetrates the blood-brain barrier more quickly than morphine. Effects may last from 4-6 hours. Heroin can also be snorted, smoked or inhaled by the method known as "chasing the dragon" whereby it is heated on foil and the fumes inhaled.
It can happen that opiate dependence brings few physical complications other than constipation, but such cases are rare; studies of British heroin addicts in the 1960s showed that even when maintained on medically prescribed "clean" heroin and supplied with needles they had a much higher death rate than the rest of the population. Frequent side effects of high doses of opiates are a reduction in sexual drive and fertility, resulting in impotence in men and severe irregularities in the female menstrual cycle, as well as mood instability, lethargy and anorexia. Individuals may develop tolerance of some, but not all the effects of opiates. Withdrawal symptoms are generally not life-threatening (if the individual is otherwise healthy) but are extremely unpleasant for a period of 48-72 hours.
Some of the most severe effects of heroin abuse stem less from the drug itself than from unhygienic injecting practices which cause hepatitis, HIV and AIDS and the wider diffusion of these diseases by sexual contact. It is generally believed that injecting heroin users are more severely dependent than inhalers, partly because injection is the least safe but most cost-effective way of using an illicit drug. It is also possible to take more of the drug by injection - inhalers tend to fall asleep before they reach the point of overdose. Switching between different routes is quite common, however, and may well be prompted by health considerations.
Other central nervous system depressants:
This category includes barbiturates, nonbarbiturate depressants and benzodiazepines; they are also referred to as sedative-hypnotics. They can be used therapeutically as anaesthetics, anticonvulsants, in the treatment of tension and anxiety, insomnia and some psychiatric illnesses. The first major type of drug in this group to be manufactured was the barbiturate group, synthetic pharmaceuticals which since the 1960s have largely been replaced therapeutically by benzodiazapines such as diazepam (Valium). Benzodiazapines and non-barbiturate sedatives such as methaqualone appear regularly on the illicit market and are used for sedation and for pleasurable intoxication, often in combination with alcohol.
Barbiturates are powerful CNS depressants; they can cause excessive drowsiness and thereby put the user at risk if driving or operating machinery. Abuse may lead to respiratory problems such as bronchitis and emphysema and at high doses can cause unconsciousness or death through respiratory failure. Sudden withdrawal can also cause death. One of the greatest dangers of the barbiturate group is that as physical tolerance increases, the proportional difference between an effective dose and a lethal dose decreases. For this reason the barbiturate user is especially vulnerable to overdose.
Abuse of benzodiazepines can have adverse consequences for the cognitive functions such as memory and concentration. Moreover, individuals may develop tolerance and dependence, even through therapeutic doses, if taken over a long time. Withdrawal symptoms include anxiety, insomnia and restlessness. Although considered to be much less dangerous than the barbiturates, the recent trend of injecting benzodiazepines has caused particular concern because the drug does not dissolve in the blood stream.
Central nervous system stimulants:
Central nervous system stimulants include naturally occurring plants such as coca (Erythroxylum coca), khat and betel nuts (which are not under international control), products extracted from the leaf of the coca bush - coca paste, cocaine hydrochloride and crack cocaine - and wholly synthetic substances in the form of amphetamine and amphetamine-type compounds. Cocaine has some therapeutic value as a local anaesthetic, while some synthetic stimulants are used as anorectics (slimming pills), in the treatment of narcolepsy and of children suffering from attention deficit disorder. The non-medical reasons for using these substances include to elevate mood, to overcome fatigue and to improve performance. The effects of cocaine last from a few minutes to less than an hour, whereas the effects of amphetamine-type stimulants (ATS) may last several hours. Cocaine (hydrochloride) can be injected, but more commonly it is snorted, whereas crack cocaine is usually smoked. ATS can be taken orally, injected, smoked or snorted.
As with the opiates, stimulant-related morbidity may also be a function of the dose, frequency of use and administration route. Snorting cocaine can lead to septal necrosis (the erosion and death of tissue between the nostrils) and atrophy of the nasal mucus; smoking crack cocaine is associated with a risk of burns from flammable materials, with chronic bronchitis and with searing of pulmonary tissue. Crack smoking is thought to be associated with higher levels of dependency than cocaine snorting, but experts disagree as to whether it leads to more or less dependence than injection of cocaine hydrochloride.
The withdrawal symptoms associated with intensive stimulant abuse are unlike those related to opiates in that the body does not become physiologically dependent, but they may produce a state of acute unease or discomfort, depression, fatigue, insomnia and an intense desire for more of the drug. These symptoms are generally worse for amphetamines than for cocaine, though they may well occur after a cocaine or crack 'binge' that lasts several days, when the user may neither sleep nor eat. There is no consensus in the scientific literature on a single definition of cocaine dependency or of cocaine tolerance: there is some evidence of individuals developing a tolerance for cocaine but in general this is short-lived, such that users who abstain even for short periods will start with low doses. Tolerance quickly develops for amphetamine, however.
Cocaine overdoses most commonly occur when the user overestimates his/her own tolerance to the drug, or if other drugs are taken at the same time. Death from respiratory arrest can occur after large doses, especially if taken with a depressant drug.
Some CNS stimulants have hallucinogenic and communication-enhancing effects such as MDA (3,4-methylenedioxy-amphetamine) and MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxy-methamphetaime) and are commonly taken to heighten emotional and sensory perceptions at parties and dance sessions. MDA and MDMA are usually taken orally but can also be injected. The abuse of hallucinogenic stimulants may cause a variety of psychological problems such as confusion, depression, anxiety and paranoia. Physical consequences include muscle tension, nausea, blurred vision, faintness, chills or sweating - symptoms which in many respects are similar to those of heatstroke. Overcompensation by drinking large quantities of water sometimes causes excessive rehydration and can lead to death. For several days after use muscle pain, fatigue and depression are common; long term use may damage the liver, brain and heart.
Hallucinogens:
Hallucinogens include naturally occurring substances such as psilocybin (from the Psilocybe mexicana mushroom), mescaline (from the peyote cactus); semi-synthetics such as lysergic acid diethylamide, (LSD) and synthetics such as phencyclidine (PCP). Apart from some traditional uses and for rare therapeutic use in psychiatry, hallucinogens are taken illicitly for their mind-altering or 'psychedelic' effects. Even in small doses LSD causes perceptual distortions of time and place, visual hallucinations and synaesthesia (a merging of the senses such that sounds are "seen" and colours are "heard"). In comparison to the powerful sensory distortions, the physiological after-effects are relatively slight, but may include dizziness, disorientation, anxiety, depression and distressing flashbacks.
PCP produces euphoria but this is unlike that of opiates or stimulants; use is often accompanied by feelings of unreality, distortions of time and space, self-damaging behaviour and belligerent paranoia. Hallucinogens are usually taken orally. Repeated administration reduces the effect of the drug but physical dependence is not known to occur. Effects last up to 12 hours.
Cannabis:
Cannabis has by far the highest rates of prevalence globally. It is mainly consumed as marijuana (the dried flowering tops of the Cannabis sativa plant), as hashish (resin from the plant), or as an oil extracted from the resin. These preparations are generally smoked, often mixed with tobacco in a cigarette or "joint", but they can also be swallowed. Cannabis is a sedative, but it also has hallucinogenic effects which may last up to several hours. The principal psychoactive ingredient is delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), but there exists a wide variety of THC levels within the various strains of cannabis now grown. Cannabis is soluble in fat, metabolizes very slowly and - since the brain is largely made up of fatty substances - it remains in the body for up to one month after consumption. When smoked, the drug is absorbed quickly into the bloodstream and reaches the brain within seconds. Depending on the quantity and frequency of consumption, cannabis may impair motor coordination, shorten attention span, and modify perceptions of time and space. In low doses it has a relaxing and mood enhancing effect but in higher doses and/or in certain individuals it can cause anxiety, panic or paranoia. Smoking the drug carries a similar, and possibly aggravated series of risks to those associated with cigarette smoking and respiratory cancers, bronchial and cardiovascular problems and the increased likelihood of foetal and neonatal complications.
International drug control and the United Nations
The many facets of drug control and the variety of other policy areas with which it comes into contact at the national level are reflected by the attribution of responsibilities to a correspondingly broad spectrum of agencies, organizations and institutions internationally. Indeed, drug control legislation may be unique in that it originated at the international level - from a confluence of world power concerns at a given historical moment - and was subsequently promulgated nationally, rather than the converse. The history of internatinal drug control and the development of the international drug control system - including before the creation of the United Nations in 1945 - is interesting and has been explored in detail in UNODC's 2008 report 100 Years of Drug Control.
The operation of the international drug control system is based on the principles of national control as well as international cooperation between States and with the UN bodies in compliance with the provisions of three legally binding international treaties. States not party to a particular treaty are encouraged to apply treaty provisions voluntarily. The major international drug control treaties currently in force are listed below. The World Health Organization (WHO), through its Expert Committee on Drug Dependence, is designated by the 1961 and 1971 Conventions to make recommendations as to whether a new substance should be brought under international control and to what degree of control it should be subjected. Similar responsibilities have been given to the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) with respect to chemicals to be considered for inclusion in the scope of the 1988 Convention. The Commission on Narcotic Drugs considers factors such as extent of known abuse and trafficking and then decides whether or not to include the substance in one of the schedules of the appropriate convention.
The 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs ( status of adherence)
Member States had three principal objectives in mind when drafting the 1961 Convention: the merging of all existing multilateral treaties in the field; the streamlining of control machinery (the functions of two existing bodies, the Drug Supervisory Body and the Permanent Central Board, were merged into the International Narcotics Control Board); and the extension of the existing control system to include cultivation of plants grown as the raw material of narcotic drugs. The overall aims of control measures remained, namely the provision of adequate supplies of narcotic drugs for medical and scientific purposes and of measures to prevent diversion into the illicit market.
The 1961 Convention exercises control over more than 116 narcotic drugs. They include mainly plant-based products such as opium and its derivatives morphine, codeine and heroin, but also synthetic narcotics such as methadone and pethidine, as well as cannabis, coca and cocaine. The Convention divides drugs into four groups, or schedules, in order to enforce a greater or lesser degree of control for the various substances and compounds. Opium smoking and eating, coca leaf chewing, cannabis resin smoking and the non-medical use of cannabis are prohibited. The 1972 Protocol to this Convention calls for increased efforts to prevent illicit production of, traffic in and use of narcotics. It also highlights the need to provide treatment and rehabilitation services to drug abusers.
The 1971 Convention on Psychotropic Substances ( status of adherence)
Growing concern over the harmful effects of psychotropic substances such as amphetamine-type drugs, sedative-hypnotic agents and hallucinogens led to the elaboration of the Convention on Psychotropic Substances. This extended the international drug control system to include hallucinogens such as LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide) and mescaline; stimulants such as amphetamine and methamphetmamine, and sedative hypnotics such as barbiturates. The Convention categorizes the substances into four schedules according to their dependence creating properties and abuse potential balanced against their varying therapeutic values. Special provisions concerning abuse prevention are aimed at ensuring early identification, treatment, education, after-care rehabilitation and social reintegration of dependent persons. The Commission on Narcotic Drugs and the International Narcotics Control Board were also given particular responsibilities in the control of drugs covered by this Convention.
United Nations Convention against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances, 1988 ( status of adherence)
The 1988 Convention complements the other drug control treaties, both of which were primarily directed at the control of licit activities. It was formulated specifically to deal with the growing problem of international trafficking which had only been dealt with marginally by earlier international legal instruments. The Convention includes money-laundering and illicit traffic in precursor and essential chemicals within the ambit of drug trafficking activities and calls on parties to introduce these as criminal offences in their national legislation. Its objective is to create and consolidate international cooperation between law enforcement bodies such as customs, police and judicial authorities and to provide them with the legal guidelines a) to interdict illicit trafficking effectively, b) to arrest and try drug traffickers, and c) to deprive them of their ill-gotten gains. It also intensifies efforts against the illicit production and manufacture of narcotic and psychotropic drugs by calling for strict monitoring of the chemicals often used in illicit production.
Objectives
> to assist Member States to develop capacity to monitor patterns and trends in drug abuse
> to encourage the adoption of methodologically sound and comparable indicators of drug abuse
> to support the development of expert technical networks at both national and regional level
> to facilitate design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of evidence-based demand reduction responses in areas of prevention, treatment and rehabilitation and reducing negative health and social consequences of drug abuse
Global Assessment Programme on Drug Abuse (GAP) is strengthened the global information base on drug abuse through developing and disseminating cost-efficient methods and tools, and assisting countries in the collection and analysis of drug epidemiological data in accordance with internationally agreed standards of best practice.
Training and technical assistance to increase local capacities for the collection, use and reporting of internationally comparable epidemiological data on the demand for illicit drugs was provided in over 70 countries in different regions of the world. GAP field advisors assisted national data collection activities, and design and implementation of evidence-based demand reduction responses in Central and South-West Asia, North Africa and the Middle East, West and Central Africa, and in the Russian Federation.
GAP was successful in developing resources that promote, support and facilitate the reporting of comparable drug consumption data ( Evaluation of the GAP, Issue Two - December 2006). In order to further facilitate sharing of best practices in drug abuse epidemiology and to encourage use of harmonized indicators and tools,
GAP developed a methodological Toolkit for monitoring drug abuse, providing a pragmatic approach for Member States to use to assess the drug abuse situation.
The Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND)
The Economic and Social Council established the Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) in 1946 as the central policy-making body of the United Nations in drug related matters. The Commission enables Member States to analyse the global drug situation, provide follow-up to the twentieth special session of the General Assembly on the world drug problem and to take measures at the global level within its scope of action. It also monitors the implementation of the three international drug control conventions and is empowered to consider all matters pertaining to the aim of the conventions, including the scheduling of substances to be brought under international control.
Management of substance abuse
This website contains information pertaining to psychoactive substance use and abuse, and also information about the World Health Organization's projects and activities in the areas of substance use and substance dependence.
WHO is the only agency dealing with all psychoactive substances, regardless of their legal status. WHO’s mandate in the area of psychoactive substance use includes:
* Prevention and reduction of the negative health and social consequences of psychoactive substance use;
* Reduction of the demand for non-medical use of psychoactive substances;
* Assessment of psychoactive substances so as to advise the United Nations with regard to their regulatory control.
Since its founding in 1948, WHO has played a leading role in supporting countries to prevent and reduce the problems due to psychoactive substance use, and in recommending which psychoactive substances should be regulated. In 2000, the Department of Substance Abuse was merged with the Department of Mental Health to form the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse, reflecting the many common approaches of management of mental health and substance use disorders.
The Management of Substance Abuse Team (MSB) is one of three teams under the working umbrella of the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse and the cluster of Noncommunicable Diseases and Mental Health. The Management of Substance Abuse Team is concerned with the management of problems related to the use of all psychoactive substances. It emphasizes the development, testing and evaluation of cost-effective interventions for substance use disorders as well as the generation, compilation and dissemination of scientific information on substance use and dependence, their health and social consequences. It supports countries in advocacy and capacity building for the prevention and management of substance use disorders in all vulnerable groups . It seeks an integrated approach to all substance use problems within the health care system, in particular primary care.
UNODC/WHO Global Initiative on Primary Prevention of Substance Abuse
Introduction
The primary prevention approach is key for responding to substance use among young people before they start using substances. In addition, this strategy could help to discourage or stop use in those who are already experimenting or using.
Young people are particularly at risk for psychoactive substance use, as they are at a stage in life when patterns of behaviour are being formed and they are most likely to be influenced by peers and role models who may be involved in the use of substances.
Equally, however, it is an important period during which their behaviours can be influenced for the benefit of long-term good health. In response to this challenge, the Global Initiative Project on Primary Prevention of Substance Abuse was initiated.
The Global Initiative was a joint project of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), previously the United Nations International Drug Control Programme or (UNDCP) and World Health Organization (WHO), implemented from 1998 to 2003 in 8 countries with funding by the Norwegian Government. The project was initiated in order to support a number of local partners from Central and Eastern Europe, Southeast Asia and Southern Africa in reducing substance use and abuse among young people. Countries which were directly supported in technical and financial terms were:
Belarus, South Africa, Philippines, the United Republic of Tanzania, Thailand, The Russian Federation, Vietnam and Zambia. Click here to see country locations.
Youth and Drugs
More people are abusing drugs today than in any other time in history, and many of those people are youth. The connection between youth and drug abuse raises several questions, like: Why are young people at risk of drug abuse? Why do young people use drugs? What is wrong with doing drugs when people have been doing them for centuries? We will try and answer some of these questions, but we need to start with the basics?
What are Drugs?
Understanding what drugs are is fundamental to understanding their potential abuse.
A psychoactive substance is something that people take to change the way they feel, think or behave. Some of these substances are called drugs, and others, like alcohol and tobacco, are considered dangerous but are not called drugs. The term drugs also covers a number of substances that must be used under medical supervision to treat illnesses.
For our purposes then, we will talk about drugs as those man-made or naturally occurring substances used without medical supervision basically to change the way a person feels, thinks or behaves so that they "can have fun."
In the past, most drugs were made from plants. That is, plants were grown and then converted into drugs such as coca paste, opium and marijuana. Over the years, these crude products were further processed to yield drugs like cocaine and heroin, and finally, in the 20th century, people found out how to make drugs from chemicals. These are called man-made, or synthetic, drugs and include speed, ecstasy, LSD, etc. These were initially manufactured for largely experimental reasons and only later were used for recreational purposes. Now, however, with the increased size and scope of the drug trade, people set out to invent drugs especially for recreational human consumption.
Designer drug cocktails appear and disappear with astonishing regularity. For the first time in human history, a whole industrial complex creates and produces drugs that are meant to be used outside and in defiance of social conventions for the sole purpose of ?having fun.?
What's Wrong with Drug Abuse?
Substance abuse has many negative physiological health effects, ranging from minor issues like digestion problems or respiratory infections, to potentially fatal diseases, like AIDS and hepatitis C. Of course, the effects depend on the drug and on the amount, method and frequency of use. Some drugs are very addictive, like heroin, while others are less so. But the upshot is that regular drug abuse or sustained exposure to a drug - even for a short period of time - can cause physiological dependence, which means that when the person stops taking drugs, he/she experiences physical withdrawal symptoms and a craving for the drug.
Drug abuse also causes brain damage. Again, depending on the drug, the strength and character of this damage varies. But one thing is clear, drug abuse affects the way the brain functions and alters its responses to the world. That is what psychoactive means, after all, something that acts on your brain. How drug abuse will affect your behaviour, actions, feelings and motivations is unpredictable. By meddling in the natural ways the brain functions, abusers exposes themselves to risks they may not even have imagined.
Finally, drug abuse damages the ability of people to act as free and conscious beings, capable of taking action to fulfill their needs. How free drug abusers are when they have no control over their actions or reactions is debatable. What is unarguable is that by giving in to bio-chemical processes that are deviant, a drug abuser loses what makes humans admirable and unique.
When People Have Been Using Drugs for Centuries, What is Wrong with Occasional Drug Use?
In the past, drugs were not as strong and potent as they are now. Even so-called "natural" or soft drugs like marijuana or "skunk" are many times more powerful than they were in the 1960's. Over the years, these drugs have been modified either biologically or chemically to create higher concentrations of the active ingredient - the thing that produces the "high". The argument for historical use doesn't justify drug abuse, because no one 200 years ago could have dreamed of the potency of the drugs that are available today. Further, when psychotropic substances were used in the past, it was within a fairly well structured social space that regulated use and behaviour. In today's social conditions, this structured space has been lost. Moreover, the very strength of modern chemicals is such that it renders social control ineffective.
Additionally, there are some drugs like heroin and crack cocaine that are highly addictive. This means that even if they are used recreationally, they tend to induce physical dependence, leading to an increased need for the drug. Even those drugs that people think they can take occasionally, the so-called party drugs (like Ecstasy, GHB and speed), tend to produce a craving to repeat the sensations again and again.
The effects of most drugs are not very well known. Even when they are, their influences are dependent on an individual's physical and psychological make up, and even occasional drug use can lead to unforeseen complications and reactions.
Drug Trends
While it is difficult to give an accurate picture of the extent of drug abuse among youth because of the severe lack of information, we can look at smaller samples of young people in developed countries for some indication of the direction youth culture is taking. Since youth culture is increasingly global and emanates from the West, studying target groups in these countries can provide some hints about the new trends in drug abuse.
The Global Youth Network project runs an e-mail listserv for its members (membership application). We send out weekly messages about new trends in substance abuse and good practice examples for drug abuse prevention.
Recent drug trends:
> Heroin - Trends and harms
> Research among school children in Uzbekistan
> Cannabis: A few issues The emergence of ATS
> Child labour and the drug trade
> Children used in drug trade (New Zealand and Philippines)
> Use of Ephedrine products
> Drug use trends in Europe and the US
> Drug use and sexual activity
> The prevalence of illicit drug use among youth: results from the Australian School Students' Alcohol and Drug Survey
> Adolescent alcohol consumption in Ireland: Implications for understanding influences and enhancing interventions
> Substance use among Taiwan adolescents (two studies)
> Community Epidemiology Work Group - December 2000 report
> Inhalants or solvent abuse
> Prescription of pain killers like OxyContin and Vicodin
Taking Action
Some of you may want to do something about the drug abuse situation in your own community. In this section we have collected tools that we think might be useful in planning and implementing an effective drug abuse prevention programme.
We have divided the tools we have collected, according to the different prevention settings or targets.
Planning, Implementing, Monitoring And Evaluating Prevention Activities With The Active Involvement Of Youth And The Community
This page contains tools to help you plan, implement, monitor and evaluate prevention activities that are effective and that involve youth at each stage of the project.
Preventing the use of Amphetamine-Type Stimulants among young people
More people use Amphetamine-Type Stimulants (ATS) worldwide than opiates and cocaine combined. After cannabis, ATS are the most common illicit drug used by young people in all the regions of the world. This page includes resources on what are ATS and what are they effects, as well as on how to plan effective activities to prevent the use of ATS among the young people in your community.
Putting the Right Message Across to Youth
The tools in this page will help develop activities to put the right message across to youth in a variety of ways, but especially with the involvement of youth.
Prevention in School
Schools are one of the common settings for drug prevention activities. This page collects many different examples, experiences and tools to help you develop effective drug prevention activities in schools.
Working with Families
Working with families, including both parents/ guardians and children, is one of the most effective approaches to prevention. However, it is sometimes difficult to involve parents, who are very busy providing and caring for the family. We have collected some tools that might be of inspiration and assistance.
Alternative Activities
Sports, drama, musical performance, visual arts... you name it. With a little help from adults, youth can organise many activities to spend their free time in a fun, challenging and constructive way. This page collects some tools to help you do it.
Working with Vulnerable Populations
In every community and country there are youth that, for various socio-economic reasons are particularly at risk of using drugs. We have collected some tools to work with these youth that are sometimes difficult to reach, or marginalised or have special needs.
Sources:
http://daccessdds.un.org/doc/RESOLUTION/GEN/NR0/513/44/IMG/NR051344.pdf?OpenElement
http://www.un.org/depts/dhl/drug/index.html
http://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/about-unodc/26-June.html
http://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/drug-prevention-and-treatment/index.html
http://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/illicit-drugs/index.html
http://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/drug-prevention-and-treatment/index.html
http://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/illicit-drugs/definitions/index.html
http://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/GAP/index.html
http://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/commissions/CND/index.html
http://www.who.int/substance_abuse/en/
http://www.who.int/substance_abuse/activities/global_initiative/en/
http://www.unodc.org/youthnet/youthnet_youth_drugs.html
http://www.unodc.org/youthnet/en/youthnet_action.html