International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking 2021: Significance, theme, date and history

This year, the theme is ‘Share Facts On Drugs, Save Lives’. According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the motive 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.

What does that entail?

As per UNODC, one should ‘Know the facts’, and ‘only share information from verified sources, like UNODC’.

UNODC prepares the World Drug Report which contains factual data and statistics to address the current drug problem.

History

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

Significance

As per UNODC, COVID-19 has brought unprecedented public awareness on health, protective measures for staying healthy, and most importantly, on protecting each other. “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,” it reads on its website.

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