VIENNA, Austria – March 2019: The current Global SMART Update Vol. 21 “Understanding the global opioid crisis” provides insight into the non-medical use of opioids, which presents a significant concern for public health, safety and law enforcement authorities worldwide. In the past years, the non-medical use of potent opioids such as fentanyl and its analogues have been reported mainly from North America, as well as from Asia, Europe and Oceania and have contributed to the unprecedented number of recent opioid overdose deaths. Moreover, particularly the non-medical use of tramadol, an opioid analgesic, continues to increase in parts of Africa and the Middle East with reported adverse health effects.
The rapidly emerging crisis which has resulted in significant harm to human health and welfare, including fatalities, calls for a coordinated, comprehensive and multidisciplinary response, which addresses public health and safety, and encompasses both demand and supply reduction initiatives, while promoting access and availability of opioids for medical and scientific purposes.
For more information, please see:
Global SMART Update Vol. 21 “Understanding the global opioid crisis”
UNODC Global Opioid Strategy