The International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, or World Drug Day, is marked on 26 June every year, to strengthen action and cooperation in achieving the goal of a world free of drug abuse.
And each year, individuals like yourself, entire communities, and various organizations all over the world join in on this global observance, to raise awareness of the major problem that illicit drugs represent for society.
Together, we can tackle the world drug problem! Yes, it may not have the snappiest title but the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking is a key plank in the United Nations’ war on drugs.
Originally instigated by a resolution of a special session on drugs of the UN’s General Assembly in 1987, the annual awareness day was founded to mark the centenary of China’s early efforts to combat the trade in opium – widely regarded as the start of the international war on drugs. Celebrated each year on June 26th, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime uses the commemorative day to highlight the dangers of drug use and their illegal trade and provides educational material to teachers and public officials all over the world to help spread the message about the extreme cultural and economic harm the trade in drugs is still doing across the globe one hundred years after the war on drugs was initially launched in Shanghai around the start of the 20th Century.
The importance of the strategy was reinforced when the UN decided to hold a General Assembly on drugs to mark a milestone in the progress of an earlier policy document which called on members states to combat both drug demand and supply, while improving access to treatment for addicts.
