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International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking 2021

Topics Covered: Issues related to health.

International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking 2021:

Context:

The day June 26 was chosen by the UN General Assembly, on December 7, 1987, as International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking.

Objective: To create awareness about issues related to drugs and seek international cooperation to combat its effects on health, society, and governance.

 

Theme and its significance:

This year, the theme is ‘Share Facts On Drugs, Save Lives’.

  • According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the motive is to combat misinformation by sharing real facts on drugs — from health risks and solutions for the world drug problem to evidence-based prevention, treatment, and care.

 

World Drug Report 2021:

  1. Around 275 million people used drugs globally in the last year. Over 36 million people suffered from drug use disorders.
  2. Rise in the use of cannabis during the pandemic has been reported by most countries.
  3. Non-medical use of pharmaceutical drugs has also been observed in the same period.
  4. The latest global estimates say, about 5.5 per cent of the population between 15 and 64 years have used drugs at least once in the past year.
  5. Over 11 million people globally are estimated to inject drugs – half of them have Hepatitis C.
  6. Opioids continue to account for the largest burden of disease-linked to drug abuse.

 

Indian Government has taken several policy and other initiatives to deal with drug trafficking problem:

  1. The ‘Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan’ or a ‘Drugs-Free India Campaign’ was flagged off on 15th August 2020 across 272 districts of the country found to be most vulnerable based on the data available from various sources.
  2. Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment has begun implementation of a National Action Plan for Drug Demand Reduction (NAPDDR) for 2018-2025.
  3. The government has constituted Narco-Coordination Centre (NCORD) in November, 2016.
  4. The government has constituted a fund called “National Fund for Control of Drug Abuse” to meet the expenditure incurred in connection with combating illicit traffic in Narcotic Drugs; rehabilitating addicts, and educating public against drug abuse, etc.

 

 

Insta Curious:

Do you know what Project Cohesion and Project Prism are? Read Here

 

InstaLinks:

Prelims Link:

  1. About UNODC.
  2. Overview of scheme of “Financial Assistance to States for Narcotics Control”.
  3. Composition of Narco-Coordination Centre (NCORD).
  4. National Fund for Control of Drug Abuse.
  5. About Narcotics Control Bureau.
  6. International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking and theme this year.

Mains Link:

India is vulnerable to narcotic drug trafficking. Critically examine its causes. Also comment on the role of Government in combating drug problem.

Sources: PIB.