UNITED | E |
Economic and Social Council | |
Distr. 1209th Meeting | |
CND Res.44/14. | Measures to promote the exchange of information on new patterns of drug use and on substances consumed* |
The Commission on Narcotic Drugs, Recalling the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs of 1961 as amended by the 1972 Protocol,41 in particular article 38, concerning measures against the abuse of narcotic drugs, and article 38 bis, concerning agreements on the development of regional centres for scientific research and education to combat the problems resulting from the illicit use of and traffic in drugs, Recalling also the United Nations Convention against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances of 1988,42 in particular article 14, paragraph 4, thereof, concerning the commitment of the Parties to eliminating or reducing illicit demand for narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances, Recognizing that the scourge of drug abuse and dependence has major consequences for health, welfare and public safety, Emphasizing the need for greater understanding of drug abuse and dependence in order to strengthen measures aimed at increasing the impact and effectiveness of drug control policies and demand reduction activities, Concerned by the rapid pace of changes in the psychoactive substances in question and in consumption patterns, which often requires adaptation of national regulatory frameworks and changes in scheduling of substances subject to international control, Recalling that the Declaration on the Guiding Principles of Drug Demand Reduction43 calls for States to undertake assessments in a comprehensive, systematic and periodic manner, using similar definitions, indicators and procedures, Recalling also the Action Plan for the Implementation of the Declaration on the Guiding Principles of Drug Demand Reduction,44 in which States are urged to assess the causes and consequences of the misuse of all substances, Noting with satisfaction that the Global Assessment Programme on Drug Abuse assists States in conducting such assessments, Taking note of the consensus reached by technical experts at a meeting held in Lisbon in January 2000, on the principles, structures and indicators for drug information systems,45 1. Encourages States to improve their understanding of drug abuse in terms of both the patterns of drug use and the substances consumed; 2. Invites States and relevant regional organizations to foster the exchange of information among themselves in this field by looking at ways to harmonize the methodologies used in gathering useful data and reflecting the core indicators in part II of the revised annual reports questionnaire; 3. Also invites States to pursue their efforts to develop a harmonized procedure for the evaluation of drug abuse and dependence, following the guidelines used by the World Health Organization for the review of dependence-producing psychoactive substances for international control:
4. Requests the International Narcotics Control Board and the United Nations International Drug Control Programme to provide technical support to those efforts, within available voluntary contributions. 1209th meeting */ For the discussion, see chap. VI, para. 146. 41/ United Nations, Treaty Series , vol. 976, No. 14152. |