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International day against drug abuse and illicit trafficking 2021: Theme and History

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June 26 is celebrated as International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking every year  to sensitize the people in general and the youth in particular, to the menace of drug.

Theme

‘Share Facts On Drugs, Save Lives’ is this year’s theme for International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking. According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the idea behind the theme is to combat misinformation by sharing real facts on drugs — from health risks and solutions for the world drug problem to evidence-based prevention, treatment, and care.

According to UNODC, one should ‘Know the facts’, and ‘only share information from verified sources, like UNODC which prepares the World Drug Report containing factual data and statistics to address the current drug problem.

History

June 26 was chosen by the UN General Assembly, as International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking on December 7, 1987, by its resolution 42/112. The assembly made the decision to observe this day as a symbol of its resolution to make international society free of drug abuse.

COVID-19 and health

As per UNODC, COVID-19 has brought a lot of public awareness on health. “A growing sense of global community and solidarity continues to emerge, as does the need to ensure health care for all. World Drug Day is a day to share research findings, evidence-based data and life-saving facts, and to continue tapping into a shared spirit of solidarity,” the UNODC website says.

World drug report

The UN body publishes a world drug report with statistics and data on how to tackle the global drug crisis every year. “The World Drug Report 2021 is aimed not only at fostering greater international cooperation to counter the impact of the world drug problem on health, governance and security but also, with its special focus on the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, at assisting Member States in anticipating and addressing challenges that may arise in the near future,” it reads on its website.