Answer:
Prepared for the World Summit for Social Development, which was held at Copenhagen in March
1995, the paper that follows analyses social aspects of many of the principal issues involved in drug abuse
and drug control that are of concern to organizations of the United Nations system and other
intergovernmental organizations. The paper was originally commissioned by the United Nations
International Drug Control Programme (UNDCP) and drafted by an independent consultant, Jean Paul
Smith, former consulting Psychologist and Senior Policy Analyst at the National Institute on Drug Abuse,
Washington. It was subsequently reviewed and revised by a United Nations inter-agency group. The
names of the organizations that provided information for this paper appear below.
The purpose of the paper is twofold: first, to examine the social and economic impact of drug abuse
from a broad international perspective. Secondly, based on that analysis, to suggest how problems of drug
abuse prevention and control can be addressed in a constructive, coordinated manner. The paper concerns
primarily narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances but also includes, where appropriate, information on
problems related to the abuse of other addictive substances such as alcohol and tobacco. It is divided into
four main sections.
Part one describes the nature of the drug problem, in particular the chain of drug production,
distribution and consumption. It also provides information on the economics of this chain, including
statistics and comparative data by country and geographical area; on how changes in the global economy
have affected these developments; and on the monitoring of drug abuse by various agencies.
Part two discusses the social impact of drug abuse and its consequences for families, health,
education, crime and employment.
