International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking 2020
By resolution 42/112 of 7 December 1987, the General Assembly decided to observe 26 June as the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking as an expression of its determination to strengthen action and cooperation to achieve the goal of an international society free of drug abuse.
Supported each year by individuals, communities, and various organizations all over the world, this global observance aims to raise awareness of the major problem that illicit drugs represent to society.
- The UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has, over the years, been actively involved in launching campaigns to mobilize support for drug control. The UNODC often teams up with other organizations and encourages people in society to actively take part in these campaigns.
Governments, organizations and individuals in many countries, including Vietnam, Borneo and Thailand, have actively participated in promotional events and larger scale activities, such as public rallies and mass media involvement, to promote the awareness of dangers associate
information about this day
Friday, 26 June 2020 (UN Information Service) - On the occasion of the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, this year's theme "Health for justice. Justice for health" invites us to reflect on the importance of justice in ensuring positive health outcomes for all people, and in particular, for the most vulnerable among us.
It also reminds us that for many people affected by drug use and drug trafficking, justice remains elusive - whether due to extrajudicial reprisals, disproportionate criminal justice responses, impediments to treatment and social reintegration or the legal and societal stigma which continues to be associated with drug use and dependence.
The International Narcotics Control Board has advocated State responses to drug abuse and trafficking which meet the drug control conventions' call for proportionality and which are rooted in the respect for human rights and human dignity.
The Board has made clear that extrajudicial responses to suspected drug-related activity cannot, under any circumstance, be justified. These acts, whether committed by State actors, or condoned or encouraged by them, constitute egregious violations of human rights and of the drug control conventions which require legal responses to drug-related conduct. Accordingly, the Board has condemned extrajudicial acts of violence committed against persons suspected of drug-related activities and has called for these acts to be investigated and prosecuted.
In the face of over-incarceration for drug-related offences of a lesser gravity, including those committed by people who use drugs, the Board has reminded States of the possibility set forth in the drug control conventions to apply alternative measures to conviction or punishment and of the need to ensure respect for the principle of proportionality in the determination of penalties. It remains a great cause of concern for the Board that these provisions continue to be underutilised by States and the Board is committed to continuing its efforts to encourage their greater implementation.
The Board has also encouraged States which continue to retain the death penalty for drug-related offences to consider abolishing capital punishment for that category of offence in light of key international developments in this regard.
