Part of: GS Prelims and GS-II – health and GS-III – Linkage of organised crime with Terrorism
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Recently, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), in its World Drug Report 2021, has highlighted that the lockdown restrictions during Covid-19 have accelerated drug trafficking using the Internet.
Key findings of the report
Between 2010-2019, the number of people using drugs increased by 22%, owing in part to an increase in the global population.
Around 275 million people used drugs worldwide last year, while over 36 million people suffered from drug use disorders.
Opioids continue to account for the largest burden of disease attributed to drug use.
A rise in the non-medical use of pharmaceutical drugs was also observed during the coronavirus pandemic.
In the last 24 years, cannabis potency had increased as much as four times in some parts, even as the percentage of adolescents who perceived the drug as harmful fell by as much as 40%.
Access to drugs has also become simpler than ever with online sales, and major drug markets on the dark web are now worth some $315 million annually.
In Asia, China and India are mainly linked to shipment of drugs sold on the 19 major darknet markets analysed over 2011-2020.
About United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime
It was established in 1997 and was named as a United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in 2002.
It acts as the Office for Drug Control and Crime Prevention by combining the United Nations International Drug Control Program (UNDCP) and the Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Division of the United Nations Office at Vienna.
