The theme of World Drug Day 2022 is 'Addressing drug challenges in health and humanitarian crises’. In the lead up to 26 June 2022, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) is highlighting its work on drug prevention and treatment around the world, particularly in crisis situations.
#CareInCrises #WorldDrugDay
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Bangladesh, 21 June 2022 - The Rohingya people, a stateless Muslim minority population of Myanmar, can be considered among the most marginalized and vulnerable populations in the world. Denied citizenship in Myanmar, the Rohingyas have long been unable to exercise basic rights, such as the right to vote, travel, marry, access to shelter, food and health services, and many more. [Read more]
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Kandahar (Afghanistan), 22 June 2022 – Afghanistan’s role as the world’s largest opium producer is well-known - in 2020, the country accounted for 85% of global opium production and was the supplier for 80% of all opiate users worldwide. However, opiate use has also posed a huge challenge within Afghanistan itself, where drug treatment options remain limited. The 2015 Afghanistan National Drug Use Survey found that 2.5-2.9 million people (11 per cent of the population) in the country, including women and children, had tested positive for narcotic drugs like opiates. [Read more]
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Colombia, 23 June 2022 - Meet Marla*, a young woman in Colombia. By the age of 16, Marla had already started using marijuana, in part due to the violence, alcoholism, and marginalization swirling around her.
Marla was born to Anibal* and Rosa* in Medellin’s Comuna 13, along with two sisters.
[Read more]
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Nigeria, 24 June 2022 - Yemisi, a student at a university in Nigeria, had two problems in early 2020. She was a drug user. And she was pregnant – without the knowledge of her conservative Nigerian family, who were also unaware of her drug habit.
When Nigeria imposed a lockdown following the outbreak of COVID-19, Yemisi’s university closed, and she had to return to her family. Already five months pregnant at the time, Yemisi had yet to enroll in prenatal treatment and was using a cocktail of drugs – cannabis, codeine, diazepam – all harmful to her and her unborn child. [Read more]
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Dushanbe (Tajikistan), 30 June 2022 – Drug trafficking and illicit financial flows emanating out of Afghanistan pose increased challenges for the Central Asian region. Afghanistan continues to dominate the worldwide opium market, accounting for 85 per cent of the global production total in 2020. Opium produced in Afghanistan supplies markets in neighbouring countries as well as Europe, the Near and Middle East, South Asia and Africa. [Read more]
