In 1998 the General Assembly gave UNODC the mandate to publish “comprehensive and balanced information about the world drug problem.” Since then, the international community has recognized the importance of detailed, factual and objective information to the field of international drug control.

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has published such assessments annually since 1999. This year UNODC introduces its first two volume edition of the World Drug Report, which merges the former Global Illicit Drug Trends publication and the World Drug Report. The consolidation of the two reports is designed to increase the breadth of analytical coverage, while maintaining the annual frequency of statistical output. The first volume covers market trends and provides in depth long term trend analysis, the second volume compiles detailed statistics on all of the drug markets. Together they provide the most complete picture yet of the international drug problem.

The aim of the present Report remains the same as previous years: to contribute to annual assessments by presenting supply (production and trafficking) and demand statistics and analysis on the evolution of the global illicit drug problem. However, by presenting a thorough consideration of the status of the world drug situation and through the presentation of long term trends, this year’s report goes further than ever in providing an assessment of the world drug situation.