UN mourns the death of 200,000 people a year for illicit drugs

About 200,000 people a year die from illicit drug use, lamented Tuesday the UN agency in charge of the fight against drugs, also said in its annual report for 2012 a significant decline in cocaine production in Colombia between 2006 and 2010. In addition, the director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC UNODC or in its name in English), Yuri Fedotov, described as "disappointing" the draft Uruguay to legalize marijuana. "Heroin, cocaine and other drugs are killing about 200,000 people a year, shattering families and promoting (...) insecurity and the spread of HIV, "Fedotov said. According to the report, global production and consumption of illicit drugs remained relatively stable last year. Cannabis was the most consumed drug, with about 224 million consumers worldwide. With respect to cocaine, although the use and development remained broadly stable, "the trends are different depending on the regions and countries. " "The available data on crop yield and traffic indicate that there has been an overall decline in cocaine production, driven by a very significant reduction in cocaine production in Colombia during 2006-2010" the report said. "The main markets for cocaine remained in North America, Europe and Oceania (mainly Australia and New Zealand). In North America there has been a sharp decline in cocaine use, mainly due to the reduction in the States, 3% (2006) to 2.2% (2010) in adults between 15 and 64 years old, "he says. "While the U.S. market continues to supply almost exclusively with cocaine produced in Colombia, since 2006 has been a change in European markets, which offset at least partially, the lack of cocaine produced in Colombia with cocaine produced in Bolivia and Peru, "he estimates. The UN agency also said that the cultivation and production of sheet cocaine have increased in these two countries between 2006 and 2010. In March, Bolivian President Evo Morales coca leaves exhibited in Vienna, where the headquarters of UNODC, lamenting the "absurd ban on chewing coca leaf" . Fedotov said at the time it was "difficult to draw conclusions regarding the chewing of coca, because (...) have no clear medical evidence about their effects." "Initiatives like this can undermine long-term international law on drug control and cause a sort of domino effect," he said. On Tuesday, commenting on the draft Uruguay to legalize marijuana, Fedotov, held that, " if confirmed, would be a disappointing change. " For him, "cannabis is a drug not so innocent as some would like us to believe. According to medical reports, causes irreversible changes in the brain," he added.