In January 2001, the Vienna-based UN Office…

In January 2001, the Vienna-based UN Office for Drug Control and Crime Prevention releases the World Drug Report 2000, which states that coca and opium production is now limited to fewer countries than ever before.

Afghanistan and Myanmar together account for about 90 per cent of illicit global opium production with Colombia alone responsible for two-thirds of the production of coca leaf.

Drug trafficking, however, has proliferated due to globalization: the number of countries reporting seizures has risen from 120 in 1981 to 170 in 1998.

The UN report estimates that some 180 million people- 4.2 per cent of all persons aged 15 years and above-were consuming drugs in the late 1990s.

Cannabis headed the list, followed by amphetamine-type stimulants, cocaine and opiates.

Due to multiple drug use, these numbers do not add up to the 180 million global estimates.

The report also points to the broader implications of the world's drug problem, including the spread of HIV, AIDS, and other diseases, money laundering, corruption and financing of insurgents and terrorists.
(Source: EuropaWorld)