Today there is widespread recognition among Member States and United Nations entities that drugs, together with organized crime, jeopardize the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals. It is increasingly clear that drug control must become an essential element of our joint efforts to achieve peace, security and development. At the same time, we must reinforce our commitment to shared responsibility and the basic principles of health and human rights.

The World Drug Report documents developments in global drug markets and tries to explain the factors that drive them. Its analysis of trends and emerging challenges informs national and international drug and crime priorities and policies, and provides a solid foundation of evidence for counternarcotics interventions.

Drug markets and drug use patterns change rapidly, so measures to stop them must also be quick to adapt. Thus
the more comprehensive the drug data we collect and the stronger our capacity to analyse the problem, the better prepared the international community will be to respond to new challenges.