Counternarcotics issues

Excellencies,

Dear colleagues,

We welcome the launch of 2018 World Drug Report, which proved its efficiency as the UNODC flagship publication and a universal source of information about the world drug situation.

This year’s report is a crucial one, as it depicts the world drug situation in the run-up to the 2019 target date. The progress towards achieving the targets of the 2009 Political Declaration was not explicitly evaluated in the report, however it reveals some very concerning trends, which in our view should be taken into account and seriously discussed at the ministerial meeting in 2019. According to the UNODC, the record levels of the production of opiates and cocaine have been reached that will have major implications for drug use globally. The alarming figures presented in the report require a consolidated response of the international community on the basis of common and shared responsibility and reprioritization of supply reduction efforts with an equal attention paid to demand reduction issues. We encourage the Office to further examine these trends and thoroughly analyze reasons and consequences of such an unprecedented boom of drug cultivation and production.

With the launch of the World Drug Report we traditionally commemorate the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking. However, some recent developments put under question the overall commitment to these goals. We reiterate our deep concern about international repercussions of the new Canadian legislation. As repeatedly stated by the International Narcotics Control Board and pointed out in the statement of the UNODC Spokesperson, the legalization of recreational cannabis is a violation of the international drug control conventions, it undermines global legal drug control framework and respect for the rules-based order.

The World Drug Report provides additional evidence that such initiatives cannot be presented as “healthy” ones. For instance, according to the report, in those jurisdictions, where cannabis has been legalized for non-medical purposes, its use has increased considerably among the population aged 18-25 years and older. There has been a significant increase in cannabis-related emergency room visits, hospital admissions and traffic deaths. Moreover, as emphasized in the publication, cannabis is often used in conjunction with other substances and the use of other drugs is typically preceded by cannabis use. However, the report does not outline any policy implications of legalization of recreational cannabis, which is a fundamental breach of the international treaty obligations. We believe that it is not too early to determine the impact, as indicated in the report. The time is ripe and if the discussion would be further postponed, it may be too late.

At the same time, we were astonished at the recommendations concerning some aspects, which relate to the prerogative of member states. For instance, needle and syringe programmes and opioid substitution therapy are presented in the report as criteria of efficiency of national drug policy. Some “global targets” related to these practices are applied. We believe that the main indicators of national demand reduction efforts should deal with treatment coverage and the rate of recovered patients but not with optional and not universally acknowledged interventions.

Last but not least, we would like to express appreciation to the Office’s work in data collection and analysis field and welcome the increasing response rate of member states to the Annual Report Questionnaire. In this regard, we would like to encourage the UNODC to further provide targeted technical assistance in strengthening national data collection capacities, which should improve not only geographical coverage but also the quality of relevant data.

Thank you for your attention.