NCJ Number
172885
Date Published
1997
Length
28 pages
Annotation
Recent global trends in the production, trafficking, and use of illicit drugs are described, with emphasis research findings and on the challenge these trends pose to the international community as it seeks to address drug problems.
Abstract
The production of coca leaf has more than doubled and that of the opium poppy has more than tripled since 1985. The use of amphetamine-type stimulants and other synthetic drugs has also increased rapidly in recent years. Illicit laboratories for drug manufacture have been detected in only a small number of countries, particularly the United States, Poland, and Colombia. Seizures of most major drugs have also increased during the past decade. The growth in international trade and transportation has made the interdiction of illicit drugs difficult. Data on emergency room visits, drug-related deaths, drug arrests, and drug use all reveal that the consumption of illicit drugs has increased throughout the world in recent years. Drug injecting has been identified in more than 100 countries, of which 80 report HIV infection among injection drug users. Overall, the available data have significant gaps; efforts are needed to improve data collection and analysis on trends at the country level. Figures, maps, table, reference notes, and attached discussions of the coca leaf and stimulant abuse