UNODC reports 30% rise in global drug use

Homa Lezgee
Press TV, Vienna

The UN’s latest World Drug Report says there’s been an increase of 30 percent in the number of people using drugs worldwide. The report cites Iran as accounting for the largest quantity of opiates seized. Neighboring the world’s biggest opium producer Afghanistan, the Islamic Republic of Iran is at the forefront of the global fight against drug trafficking.

Around 269 million people using drugs around the world and over 35 million suffering from drug use disorders, these are the latest numbers released by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime in its World Drug Report for 2020.

The UNODC says it’s worried overworked health systems hit hard by COVID-19 will mean less resources to prevent drug use and treat related disorders.

UN researchers have recorded an oversupply of opium in the world’s biggest producer Afghanistan.

This means traffickers are trying to get more illicit drugs to western markets via the so-called Balkan route that goes through Iran.

According to the World Drug Report, Iran has seized the largest quantity of opiates, accounting for more than half of the global total. The UNODC is promoting a regional approach between Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan with Tehran complaining that US sanctions are impeding its access to necessary equipment.

Just a day before the World Drug Report was officially released, Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations and international organizations in Vienna called on the UNODC to provide a legal and practical framework to urgently address the negative impact of sanctions on the Iranian and global fight against drugs.

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