United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime- World Drug Campaign


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The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) is leading the international campaign to raise awareness about the major challenge that illicit drugs represent to society as a whole, and especially to the young.

The goal of the campaign is to mobilize support and to inspire people to act against drug abuse and trafficking. The campaign encourages young people to put their health first and not to take drugs.

The international campaign "Do drugs control your life? Your life. Your community. No place for drugs" communicates that the destructive effects of illicit drugs concern us all. Their use harms individuals, families and society at large. Drugs control the body and mind of individual consumers, the drug crop and drug cartels control farmers, trafficking and crime control communities.

Teenagers and young adults are particularly vulnerable to using illicit drugs. The prevalence of drug use among young people is more than twice as high as that among the general population. Peer pressure to experiment with illicit drugs can be strong and self-esteem is often low. Also, those who take illicit drugs tend to be either misinformed or insufficiently aware of the health risks involved.

UNODC and its campaign only focus on drugs under international control, as specified in the three multilateral treaties that form the backbone of the international drug control system. These illicit drugs include amphetamine-type stimulants, coca/cocaine, cannabis, hallucinogens, opiates and sedative hypnotics.