Ban Ki-Moon remarks on the International Day against Drug Abuse and illicit Trafficking

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Ban Ki-Moon remarks on the International Day against Drug Abuse and illicit Trafficking

27 June 2013

Earlier this year I visited the San Patrignano drug rehabilitation centre in northern Italy. I am pleased to meet Mrs. Letizia Moratti again,who is the President of San Patrignano, who kindly introduced and showed all the facilities and allowed me to meet the people.

There, more than 1,200 young women and men from 28 countries are learning how to free themselves from the curse of addiction so they can enjoy dignified, productive lives.

Today, in Vienna, at a special meeting of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs, the United Nations launched the World Drug Report 2013. The Report is the foundation for understanding and responding to this transnational challenge.

It shows heroin and cocaine use declining in some areas, but other threats emerging, such as new psychoactive substances and prescription drug abuse. It highlights how, in Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras between 2004 and 2011, the homicide rate was more than double the rate seen in Afghanistan, Iraq and Sudan. And it shows how, in Guinea-Bissau, corruption and organised crime networks are undermining development, the rule of law and the democratic process. This is a critical, transnational problem that demands a global response.

They must include robust law enforcement, and use all the tools of the conventions on drugs, corruption, transnational organized crime and terrorism. But the rule of law is only part of the equation. We also need prevention and treatment approaches rooted in science, public health and human rights.



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