Supported each year by individuals, communities, and various organisations all over the world, this global observance aims to raise awareness of the major problem that illicit drugs represent to society.

Challenges

The global drug problem presents a multifaceted challenge that touches the lives of millions worldwide. From individuals struggling with substance use and associated disorders to communities grappling with the consequences of drug trafficking and organised crime, the impact of drugs is far-reaching and complex. Central to addressing this challenge is the imperative to adopt a scientific evidence-based approach that prioritises prevention and treatment.

The International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, or World Drug Day, is marked to strengthen action and cooperation in achieving a world free of drug abuse. This year’s (2024) World Drug Day campaign recognises that effective drug policies must be rooted in science, research, respect for human rights, compassion, and a deep understanding of the social, economic, and health implications of drug use.

Together, all should be determined to combat the global drug problem, guided by the principles of science, compassion, and solidarity.

Continued record illicit drug supply and increasingly agile trafficking networks are compounding intersecting global crises and challenging health services and law enforcement responses, according to the World Drug Report 2023 launched by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). This year’s report will be launched next week.

New data put the global estimate of people who inject drugs in 2021 at 13.2 million, 18 percent higher than previously estimated. Globally, over 296 million people used drugs in 2021, an increase of 23 percent over the previous decade. The number of people who suffer from drug use disorders, meanwhile, has skyrocketed to 39.5 million, a 45 percent increase over 10 years.

Latest findings

The World Drug Report also highlights how social and economic inequalities drive – and are driven by – drug challenges; the environmental devastation and human rights abuses caused by illicit drug economies; and the rising dominance of synthetic drugs.

The demand for treating drug-related disorders, including mental conditions, remains largely unmet, according to the report. Only one in five people suffering from drug-related disorders was in treatment for drug use in 2021, with widening disparities in access to treatment across regions and countries.

Youth are the most vulnerable to using (or rather abusing) drugs and are also more severely affected by substance use disorder in several regions. In Africa, 70 percent of people in treatment are under the age of 35.

Public health, prevention, and access to treatment services must be prioritised worldwide, the report argues, or drug challenges will leave more people behind.

The report underscores the need for law enforcement responses to keep pace with agile criminal business models and the proliferation of cheap synthetic drugs that are easy to bring to market. Criminals producing methamphetamine – the world’s dominant illegally manufactured synthetic drug – evade law enforcement and regulatory responses through new synthesis routes, bases of operation, and non-controlled precursors.

Fentanyl has drastically altered the opioid market in North America with dire consequences. In 2021, the majority of the approximately 90,000 opioid related overdose deaths in North America involved illegally manufactured fentanyls.

Local situation

In Sri Lanka, the single most significant drug problem is the trafficking of heroin for local consumption. Sri Lanka serves as a transshipment hub for heroin trafficked into the country mainly from South Asian and West Asian locations. It is estimated that there are about 45,000 regular users of heroin and about 600,000 users of cannabis in the country. The recent Yukthiya operation netted a large number of addicts and pushers. Moreover, several drug lords who were hiding abroad have been brought down and produced before courts.

In fact, the nexus between organised crime and drug trafficking is rather well-known. Central and South American drug cartels are best known for extreme violence. In Sri Lanka too, most of the motorcycle killings (turf wars) have been attributed to rivalry between different drug dealing gangs. Underworld factions, sometimes, led by leaders living in exile in the Middle East, depend mainly on the drug business for their survival. Even prison and law enforcement officers have been caught dealing with or assisting notorious drug barons who are behind bars.

It is vital to nab the “big fish” who control the flow of drugs into the country and their distribution within the country. All drug addicts must be rehabilitated, instead of being sent to prison. This, after all, is one reason for the overcrowding of prisons. Another factor is that otherwise innocent drug users come into contact with hardened criminals inside the prison and could take to crime.

Our Security Forces must be equipped with the latest surveillance devices including long range drones to detect any incoming vessels smuggling drugs. This is important because the Navy and the Coastguard cannot cover the entire Exclusive Economic Zone. However, even amidst equipment and manpower issues, the Sri Lanka Navy has been successful in busting several drug smuggling rings that operate in and around Sri Lanka.

Enforcing the law against drug trafficking is important, but in keeping with this year’s World Drug Day theme, prevention is even more essential. This should begin from home or school, with students being warned on the dangers posed by illicit drugs of all types (this does not mean that legally available drugs such as tobacco are any better). Even some legal OTC pharmaceuticals can be abused if taken in abnormal quantities.

Drug trafficking is a complex global problem that demands global solutions with the active participation of all countries. That is essential to save the future generations from this scourge.