Following is Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s message on the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, observed 26 June:
One of the most damaging misconceptions about drug use is that it is a permanent problem. The truth is that treatment for drug abuse can work, and can restore value and dignity to a person’s life. The theme for this year’s International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, “Drugs: Treatment Works”, aims to correct this misconception, and convey the facts about drug abuse treatment, based on the latest and most reliable evidence and research.
Millions of people worldwide have been directly affected by drug problems -– those who are dependent, as well as their families. Their lives have been disrupted, their health undermined, their education interrupted, their jobs lost, their families broken. People with drug-related problems, and their families and friends, need to know that there is a way out, and that effective help is available in different forms, depending on the needs and situation of each individual.