The International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking is a Drug Abuse International Day against drug abuse and the illegal drug trade. It is observed annually on 26 June, since 1989. While observing the International Day Against Drug Abuse, UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, says the world’s drug problem remains an urgent challenge that threatens to exacerbate COVID-19 pandemic impacts and hinder a healthy and inclusive recovery.
The World Drug Report published on Wednesday by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) showed that drug-related deaths have nearly doubled over the past decade. According to the report, 10 per cent of HIV cases in 2019 are due to people injecting themselves with harmful substances.
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, in the company of NDLEA boss, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (rtd); the Director-General of the National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC), Otunba Olusegun Runsewe, and other top government officials, in observance of the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, attended the premiere of a movie titled “The Silent Baron”, a film produced by Mr Ifeanyi Ukaeru, in partnership with the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency to highlight the dangers of the abuse and trafficking in Nigeria.
The movie features some internal challenges of agencies fighting drug barons and highlights how the couriers are recruited including by fooling ladies and their parents with false promises of taking the ladies abroad.
As the battle against illicit drug continued to be fought home and abroad, dark web drug sales continue to rise, and the non-medical use of pharmaceuticals, including opioids, is expanding.
The head of UNODC, Ghada Waly has therefore urged governments to expand evidence-based prevention and treatment programmes, as well as monitoring and early warning mechanisms to help lower-income countries detect and counter new substances and use trends.
