By Chisomo Phiri
The 2024 World Drug Report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime has revealed that over 200 million people used drugs in 2022, on the high being cannabis (chamba).
The report presented by Dr. Dzinkambani Kambalame from Kamuzu University of Health Sciences (KUHeS) during the commemoration of the United Nations International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking on June 26,2024, showed that cannabis was the most used drug, with over 220 million users.
Dr. Kambalame indicated that over 60 million users developed drug use disorder due to drug usage.
With this, he made a call for collaborative efforts to address the current problem of drug use and abuse, including intensifying preventive measures.
Commenting on the matter, Dr. John Mponda, a lecturer in Pharmaceutical Sciences and Pharmacy Department and a member of the technical committee developing the Drug Control Policy, indicated that efforts are underway to develop a framework called the National Drug Control Policy to address drug use and abuse.
Mponda said the main objective of the policy include, reducing drug demand and supply and also to provide guidance on drug use control.
The day was observed under the theme “The evidence is clear: Invest in Prevention.”
The United Nations set aside this day to strengthen collaborative efforts towards achieving a world free of drug abuse.
