Global drug use stable, but access to prevention remains insufficient: UNODC

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime's (UNODC) 2015 world drug report revealed on Friday that global drug use remained stable in 2013 as some 246 million people used an illicit substance, representing over five percent of people aged between 15 to 64 years old.

Figures show that over 187,000 drug-related deaths were reported in 2013, most of which were preventable and as a result of overdose, according to UNODC Deputy Executive Director Aldo Lale-Demoz.

"We have to stop the use of counterproductive, fear arousing tactics when it comes to drug-abuse prevention," he said, while highlighting the growing need of integrated responses by the international community to address the challenges posed by illicit drugs.

The director of the World Health Organisation (WHO)'s department of mental health and substance abuse, Shekhar Saxena, confirmed that "health is at the center of the world drug problem", and that many people do not have access to the specialized care they need.

Saxena also mentioned the need to increase the access to controlled medicines as "the majority of people who need controlled substances for legitimate medical use are not receiving them."

The report furthermore highlights the gender-specific nature of substance abuse, as men are three times more likely than women to use cannabis, cocaine and amphetamines, while women are more likely to misuse prescription opioids and tranquilizers.

The prevalence of HIV was also considered a key issue as it is estimated that 1.65 million people who inject drugs were living with HIV in 2013, and that the death rate among those who inject drugs is 15 times higher than the rest of the population.

"Ending AIDS depends on having a public health approach to drug use and depends on drug users having access to services," said Mariangela Simao, Director of the Rights, Gender, Prevention and Community Mobilization Department at UNAIDS.

Data shows that while the use of heroin and opium have remained stable and cocaine use has declined, cannabis use and the non-medical use of pharmaceutical opioids has continued to rise.

According to UNODC, some 32.4 million people, or 0.7 percent of the world's adult population, use pharmaceutical opiates and opioids, amid figures which show that the global potential opium production reached 7.554 tons in 2014, the second highest level since the 1930s.

The report also indicates that 541 new psychoactive substances which negatively affect users were reported in 95 countries and territories by the end of 2014.

According to UNODC, some 27 million people around the world are addicted to drugs, half of whom inject drugs. Endit