UNITED NATIONS, June 26 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday called for evidence-based drug prevention programs in the fight to end the plague of drug abuse and trafficking.
In his message on the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, observed annually on June 26, Guterres said drug use "eats away at people's health and wellbeing."
"Overdoses claim hundreds of thousands of lives every year," he warned.
The UN chief noted that synthetic drugs are becoming more lethal and addictive, and that the illicit drug market is breaking production records, feeding crime and violence in communities around the world.
At every turn, the most vulnerable people, including young people, suffer the worst effects of this crisis, said Guterres.
This year's theme is "The evidence is clear: invest in prevention." Guterres said the theme reminds people that "breaking the cycle of suffering means starting at the beginning, before drugs take hold, by investing in prevention."
"Evidence-based drug prevention programs can protect people and communities alike, while taking a bite out of illicit economies that profit from human misery," the UN chief noted.
From rehabilitation and reintegration strategies, to public health education campaigns, to increasing investment in drug-prevention, treatment and harm-reduction measures, "prevention pays off," Guterres said.
In December 1987, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution to designate June 26 as the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking to strengthen cooperation towards the goal of an international society free of drug abuse. ■
