NCJ Number
214784
Date Published
2006
Length
214 pages
Annotation
Volume 1 of the World Drug Report provides a detailed analysis of the global situation and of four main drug markets in particular: opium/heroin, coca/cocaine, cannabis, and amphetamine-type stimulants.
Abstract
The world has failed to come to terms with cannabis as a drug, with some countries taking it seriously and others virtually ignoring it. Cannabis must be seen as a global issue and approached with consistency on a global level. In 2005, the total area under opium poppy cultivation declined, as did global opium production. Encouraging trends were also noted on the coca/cocaine market. Global production of cocaine stayed largely at the same level and seizures of cocaine rose to new highs. Global cocaine use declined slightly. After years of massive increases in the 1990s, the markets for amphetamine type stimulants seem to be stabilizing which reflects improvements in international law enforcement cooperation and improvements in control. Cannabis herb (marijuana) and resin (hashish) remain the most widely trafficked drugs worldwide, accounting for the majority of seizures. In 2004, cannabis herb seizures surpassed 6,000 metric tons. For the same year, seizures of cannabis resin increased by 6 percent to 1,470 metric tons. An estimated 162 million people use cannabis annually and it is produced in some 176 countries around the world. However, basic facts about the supply and demand for this drug remain vague and the market continues to rise. This report presents Volume 1 of the World Drug Report providing an analysis of trends in the world drug market, specifically the production, trafficking and abuse of four drug markets: opium/heroin, coca/cocaine, cannabis, and amphetamine-type stimulants. It then offers a closer and more concerned look into the global and growing problem of cannabis. Figures, tables, and references