Vienna (Austria), 12 July 2022 - The United Nations Office on Drug and Crime (UNODC) Civil Society Unit (CSU) organized a Webinar for civil society presenting key data from the recently published Word Drug Report 2022.
The event offered a unique opportunity for civil society representatives to discuss the World Drug Report with its authors and learn more about global and regional trends concerning the World Drug Problem.
After welcoming remarks from Mirella Dummar Frahi, Chief of the UNODC CSU highlighting the importance of the UNODC flagship report, the floor was given to Angela Me, Chief of the UNODC Research and Analysis Branch, who presented the main findings of this year’s report. Among other things, she focused on the emerging trends on the cocaine market as well as drawing attention to the gender gap in access to treatment. A real novelty in the 2022 report is the analysis of the existing nexus between drugs and the environment. On this topic, the report highlights the large carbon footprint of most illicit crops and the possible environmental implications of synthetic drug manufacturing. The different implications of cannabis legalization and the impacts on consumption trends were also presented.
Kamran Niaz, from the UNODC Drug Research Unit, pointed out that "global dynamics could be considered as common challenges" as phenomena of the so-called "polydrug use" occurs in each region. Moreover, Niaz stressed the importance of prevention, reiterating that the data indicate that adolescents who consume drugs are exposed to a greater risk of behavioural disorders.
Civil Society perspectives
The first civil society representative, Pedro Arenas, from CorporacionVisoMutop, Colombia, focused on the topic of drugs and the environment, presenting the situation on coca production in Colombia. He highlighted the findings of the World Drug Report that show that forced eradication has long-term negative effects and called for Alternative Development projects that target the affected communities and farmers to ensure social and environmental sustainability. Finally, Cristina von Sperling Afridi, from Karim Khan Afridi Welfare Foundation (KKAWF) Pakistan reported on the risks of cannabis legalization, especially for young people and presented current social and legislative situations in South Asia. Drawing on data from the World Drug Report she provided a concrete example on how KKAWF empowers youth through evidence-based drug use prevention.
The event concluded with open questions and answer sessions, offering the more than 200 attendees the opportunity to follow up on some of the data presented.