I am proud to say that this year we are marking 20 years of the World Drug Report.

Over the past two decades, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has been at the forefront of global research into complex areas of drug use and supply, supporting international cooperation and informing policy choices with the latest estimates, information on trends and analysis.

This year we are launching a new format, with the report available as five separate booklets: the executive summary, together with the report’s conclusions and policy implications; a global overview of drug use and supply; a market analysis of plant-based
drugs; a market analysis of synthetic drugs; and a thematic booklet on the links between drugs and organized crime, illicit financial flows, corruption and terrorism. We have done this in response to readers’ needs and to improve user-friendliness, while maintaining the rigorous standards expected from the Office’s flagship publication.

The 2017 report comes at a time when the international community has acted decisively to achieve consensus on a way forward for joint action.