The United Nations’ (UN) International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking will be observed today across the world including Pakistan. The UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has been actively involved in launching campaigns to mobilise support for drug control. The UNODC often teams up with other organisations and encourages people in society to actively take part in these campaigns. According to the UNODC, nearly 200 million people are using illicit drugs such as cocaine, cannabis, hallucinogens, opiates and sedative hypnotics worldwide. In December 1987, the UN General Assembly decided to observe June 26 as the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking. The UN was determined to help create an international society free of drug abuse. The resolution recommended further action with regard to the report and conclusions of the 1987 International Conference on Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking. Following the resolution, the years 1991 to 2000 were heralded as the “United Nations Decade against Drug Abuse”. In 1998, the UN General Assembly adopted a political declaration to address the global drug problem. The declaration expresses the UN members’ commitment to fighting the problem.
