{"id":17337,"date":"2024-04-27T09:44:03","date_gmt":"2024-04-27T08:44:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/?p=17337"},"modified":"2024-09-22T17:27:38","modified_gmt":"2024-09-22T16:27:38","slug":"drugs-online-un-backed-body-offers-solutions-to-counter-narcotics-surge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/2024\/04\/drugs-online-un-backed-body-offers-solutions-to-counter-narcotics-surge\/","title":{"rendered":"Drugs online: UN-backed body offers solutions to counter narcotics surge"},"content":{"rendered":"<section class=\"region region-before-content\">\n<div id=\"block-views-block-story-photo-block-image\" class=\"views-element-container block block-views block-views-block-story-photo-block-image\">\n<div class=\"block-content block__content\">\n<div class=\"view view-story-photo view-id-story_photo view-display-id-block_image js-view-dom-id-2c43db1d74780307d8315cb4bfbdf66513e69b9f0fed009ef08059e3a64529b1\">\n<div class=\"view-content\">\n<div class=\"views-row\">\n<div class=\"node node--type-news-story node--view-mode-top-image clearfix container\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<div id=\"main-wrapper\" class=\"layout-main-wrapper clearfix\">\n<div id=\"main-container\" class=\"container layout-main-container\">\n<div class=\"row row-offcanvas row-offcanvas-left clearfix\">\n<div class=\"minimal-share-wrapper col-lg-3\">\n<p class=\"minimal-share\" style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">Drug dealers have continued to use cutting-edge digital technology, social media platforms and disinformation to sell their illegal produce, fuelling narcotics consumption globally, a UN-backed report <a href=\"https:\/\/unis.unvienna.org\/unis\/en\/pressrels\/2024\/unisnar1481.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">launched on Tuesday<\/a>\u00a0showed.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">The International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) study recommends responding with the same methods, running <strong>counter-narcotics campaigns offering advice<\/strong>\u00a0<strong>that can be trusted<\/strong>\u00a0on popular online platforms.<\/p>\n<section class=\"section\">\n<div id=\"block-views-block-content-fields-block-body\" class=\"views-element-container block block-views block-views-block-content-fields-block-body\">\n<div class=\"block-content block__content\">\n<div class=\"view view-content-fields view-id-content_fields view-display-id-block_body js-view-dom-id-85bca6f5774994f816c02b62c01c8202bc8f21e136f610d5ce7b80fecd654fb9\">\n<div class=\"view-content\">\n<div class=\"views-row\">\n<div class=\"views-field views-field-field-news-story\">\n<div class=\"field-content\">\n<div class=\"paragraph paragraph--type--one-column-text paragraph--view-mode--default\">\n<div class=\"_none\">\n<div class=\"w-100\">\n<div class=\"layout row layout-builder__layout\">\n<div class=\"col-12\">\n<div class=\"_none block block-layout-builder block-field-block-paragraph-one-column-text-field-text-column\">\n<div class=\"block-content block__content\">\n<div class=\"clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-text-column field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item\">\n<div class=\"align-right context-un_news_large_credit type-twitter media media--type-twitter media--view-mode-un-news-large-credit\">\n<div class=\"field field--name-field-media-twitter field--type-string field--label-visually_hidden\">\n<div class=\"field__label visually-hidden\" style=\"text-align: left;\">\u201cWe can see that drug trafficking is not just carried out on the dark web. Legitimate e-commerce platforms are being exploited by criminals too,\u201d said Jallal Toufiq, INCB President.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Criminal gangs take advantage of the chance to reach large global audiences on social media channels by turning them into marketplaces and posting\u00a0<strong>inappropriate, misleading and algorithm-targeted content<\/strong>\u00a0that is widely accessible to children and adolescents, the board noted.<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: left;\"><strong>Poppy cull<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">The authors of the report observed a\u00a0<strong>significant decline in opium poppy<\/strong>\u00a0cultivation and heroin production in Afghanistan following the Taliban&#8217;s ban on drugs. But, South Asia\u2019s\u00a0<strong>methamphetamine\u00a0<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/news.un.org\/en\/story\/2023\/06\/1138182\"><strong>trafficking boom<\/strong><\/a>is linked to its manufacture in Afghanistan with outlets in Europe and Oceania.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">In Colombia and Peru, there has been a notable\u00a0<strong>increase in illicit coca bush cultivation,\u00a0<\/strong>rising by 13 per cent and 18 per cent respectively in 2022.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Cocaine seizures also reached a record level in 2021 in West and Central Africa, a major transit region.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">And Pacific island States have transitioned from being solely transit sites along drug trafficking routes to becoming destination markets for synthetic drugs.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><strong>In North America, the opioid crisis persists<\/strong>, with the number of deaths involving synthetic opioids other than methadone surpassing 70,000 in 2021. In Europe, several countries are pursuing a regulated market for cannabis for non-medical purposes, which, the INCB experts believe, may be inconsistent with drug control.<\/p>\n<div class=\"context-un_news_large_credit type-soundcloud media media--type-soundcloud media--view-mode-un-news-large-credit\" style=\"text-align: left;\">\n<div class=\"field field--name-field-media-soundcloud field--type-string field--label-visually_hidden\">\n<div class=\"field__label visually-hidden\">Soundcloud<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: left;\"><strong>Real-world dangers online<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Other trends linked to drug dealing today include the use of encryption methods in communications and transactions, anonymous browsing on the darknet and payments in\u00a0<strong>hard-to trace<\/strong>\u00a0<strong>cryptocurrencies<\/strong>, which increase challenges for prosecutors.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">The INCB report also highlighted how criminals relocate their operations to regions with less stringent law enforcement or lighter sanctions, often choosing countries where extradition can be evaded.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">The latest data also emphasizes the heightened risk of deadly overdoses linked to the online availability of fentanyl \u2013 many times more potent than heroin \u2013 and other synthetic opioids.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Another area of concern is\u00a0<strong>telemedicine and online pharmacies.<\/strong>\u00a0While such services have the potential to enhance healthcare access and simplify the prescription and delivery of lifesaving medicines, illegal internet outlets that sell drugs without a prescription directly to consumers are a very real health risk.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">The global trade in illicit pharmaceuticals is estimated at $4.4 billion.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">In many cases, it is impossible for consumers to know whether the drugs or medicines they are buying are counterfeit, banned or illegal.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">To combat the online threat, the report\u2019s authors insist that internet platforms should be used to raise awareness about drug misuse and support public health campaigns, especially targeting young people.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Given the global nature of the challenge, countries should cooperate to identify and respond to new threats, said INCB, whose 13 members are elected by the UN\u2019s Economic and Social Council (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.un.org\/ecosoc\/en\/\">ECOSOC<\/a>).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span class=\"views-field views-field-field-news-date\"><span class=\"field-content\"><time class=\"datetime\" datetime=\"2024-03-05T12:00:00Z\">5 March 2024<\/time><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><em><strong>Source: https:\/\/news.un.org\/en\/story\/2024\/03\/1147252<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Drug dealers have continued to use cutting-edge digital technology, social media platforms and disinformation to sell their illegal produce, fuelling narcotics consumption globally, a UN-backed report launched on Tuesday\u00a0showed. The International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) study recommends responding with the same methods, running counter-narcotics campaigns offering advice\u00a0that can be trusted\u00a0on popular online platforms. \u201cWe can [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,89,75,20],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17337","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-drug-specifics","category-environment-drug-politics","category-internet","category-others"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17337","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17337"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17337\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17337"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17337"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17337"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}