2006 World Drug Report

The annual World Drug Report, UNODC's flagship publication, provides one of the most comprehensive overviews of illicit drug trends throughout the world. Largely based on data provided by Governments, the Report analyses the global illicit drug situation and the main drug markets. It also includes detailed statistics on drug production, seizures, prices and consumption.

Launching this year's World Drug Report in Washington, UNODC Executive Director Antonio Maria Costa said trends in the global drugs market were moving in the right direction but Governments needed to step up their efforts to reduce both supply and demand.

"Drug control is working and the world drug problem is being contained," he said. "This is true whether we look over the long term or even just over the past few years."

Worldwide, some 200 million people, or 5 per cent of the population aged 15-64, used illicit drugs at least once in 2004, the latest year for which figures are available. Almost every country on Earth is affected.

One recent success story is Laos, which until the mid-1990s was the third largest illicit opium producer in the world. This country slashed its opium cultivation by 72 per cent in 2005 and is on the verge of becoming opium-free.

Despite the progress made in South-East Asia and elsewhere, the UNODC Report identifies three key weaknesses in the global drug control situation: heroin supply in Afghanistan, cocaine demand in Europe and cannabis supply/demand everywhere.

In Afghanistan, the world's largest opium producer, the area under opium poppy cultivation fell 21 per cent to 104,000 hectares in 2005, the first such decline since 2001.

However, the Report warned that opium production was likely to increase again in 2006 (see interview with UNODC Executive Director Costa page 18).

Some encouraging trends were noted on the coca/cocaine market. Coca cultivation and cocaine production were broadly stable while seizures of cocaine rose to new highs. Global cocaine use declined slightly.

"Yet demand for cocaine is rising in Western Europe to alarming levels," Mr Costa said. "I urge European Union Governments not to ignore this peril. Too many professional, educated Europeans use cocaine, often denying their addiction, and drug abuse by celebrities is often presented uncritically by the media, leaving young people confused and vulnerable."

The 2006 World Drug Report devotes special attention to cannabis, the world's most abused illicit drug. Cannabis was used by an estimated 162 million people at least once in 2004, and consumption continued to increase. Cannabis is now considerably more potent than a few decades ago and evidence that cannabis use can cause serious mental illness is mounting.

"After so many years of drug control experience, we now know that a coherent, long-term strategy can reduce drug supply, demand and trafficking," Mr Costa concluded. "If this does not happen, it will be because some nations fail to take the drug issue sufficiently seriously and pursue inadequate policies. Many countries have the drug problem they deserve."

www.unodc.org/world_drug_report.html