And another year of how do we preserve our budgets, cushy jobs, junkets and find a pointless compromise that keeps the circus running
When reading below it leads me to this image from my childhood
Phrases to highlight that show no desire to confront issues head on
The world drug problem is growing, becoming more sophisticated, more unpredictable, and more harmful
Be resilient against the spread of new psychoactive substances and falsified medicines.
I’m all for health based solutions but they can’t be enacted until the UN and national governments look at the root cause, that of illegality, make something illegal and by definition it creates and illegal market which in turn.. we all know the narrative.
Vienna, 2 October 2025 – “The world drug problem is growing, becoming more sophisticated, more unpredictable, and more harmful… If we are to meet these challenges, our responses must be guided by science, grounded in evidence, and supported by international action,” said Ghada Waly, Executive Director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), in her opening remarks to the 2025 thematic discussions of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND).
Echoing the Executive Director’s call, President of the Economic and Social Commission (ECOSOC) Lok Bahadur Thapa warned of decreasing treatment coverage for substance use disorders, and stressed the pivotal role of CND in contributing to the 2030 Agenda. The World Health Organization’s (WHO) Dr. Yukiko Nakatani, meanwhile, emphasized that responses must focus on public health, be rooted in equity and human rights and be resilient against the spread of new psychoactive substances and falsified medicines.
Over three days, nearly 500 participants from Member States, United Nations agencies, international and regional organizations, academia and civil society gathered in Vienna and online to share best practices, identify challenges and find solutions for implementing international drug policy commitments.
The discussions came at a pivotal moment. According to UNODC’s World Drug Report 2025, an estimated 64 million people suffered from a drug use disorder, a 13 per cent increase over the last ten years. Yet only one in 12 people with drug use disorders received treatment, with the gap even wider for women (one in 18) than for men (one in 7).
Nearly half a million lives were lost to drug use in 2021, largely due to opioids, although these deaths are becoming increasingly linked to synthetic drugs and poly-substance use.
Three days, one focus for this year: protecting health
Building on the 2019 Ministerial Declaration and the 2024 High-level Declaration, this year’s thematic discussions concentrated on critical health-related challenges:
Day 1 – Strengthening public health responses to drug use
The morning session emphasized prevention as a core element of health systems, with experts highlighting cost-effective, evidence-based strategies to reduce vulnerabilities among youth and communities. The afternoon session addressed the persistent shortfall in drug treatment and health services, alongside the rising number of drug use-related deaths. Discussions explored how to expand access to care, integrate mental health and scale up overdose prevention measures, such as naloxone distribution under UNODC and WHO’s “Stop Overdose Safely” initiative.
Day 2 – Addressing infectious diseases and the impact of new psychoactive substances
The morning session examined the high rates of HIV and hepatitis C transmission among people who inject drugs, who remain 14 times more likely to acquire HIV than the general population, and stressed the need to implement evidence-based measures and to secure funding to sustain the progress made so far. The afternoon focused on the adverse health consequences of new psychoactive substances (NPS), whose rapidly changing nature is outpacing policy responses. Delegates raised particular concern about the spread of nitazenes, potent synthetic opioids responsible for hundreds of deaths in Europe and North America, and their growing presence in Africa and Oceania.
Day 3 – Ensuring access to controlled medicines and addressing new issues
The final day spotlighted the ongoing lack of access to controlled substances for medical and scientific purposes, particularly for pain relief and palliative care. According to the World Drug Report 2025, 87 per cent of the global population lacks adequate access to pharmaceutical opioids for essential pain management. In the afternoon, stakeholders discussed other substantive matters proposed by Member States, including alternative development and responses to multi-drug toxicity deaths.
The sessions also featured updates under the Pledge4Action initiative, launched at the 2024 Midterm Review. Several Member States reported on steps taken to implement their pledges, while others announced new commitments, reinforcing the momentum for collective action in addressing drug-related challenges.
Towards 2029 and regional action
In his concluding remarks, the Chair of the CND commended the inclusive exchange and emphasized that the insights from these discussions will inform the Commission’s ongoing work and contribute to preparations for the final review of international drug policy commitments in 2029. A Chair’s summary and a procedural report of the 2025 CND thematic discussions will be published on the CND website once available.
The thematic discussions will be followed on 3 October 2025 by a Regional Consultation on Access and Availability of Controlled Substances for Medical and Scientific Purposes in Africa, held at the Vienna International Centre and online. The consultation is jointly organized by UNODC, the African Union Commission, and Belgium under the “No Patient Left Behind” initiative.
About the CND thematic discussions
At its 62nd session in March 2019, the Commission adopted by consensus the Ministerial Declaration entitled “Strengthening Our Actions at the National, Regional and International Levels to Accelerate the Implementation of our Joint Commitments to Address and Counter the World Drug Problem.”
Following up on this declaration, the Commission held the Midterm Review in March 2024, during which it adopted the High-level declaration by the Commission on Narcotic Drugs on the 2024 midterm review, following up to the Ministerial Declaration of 2019. To maintain momentum and focus until the final review of drug policy commitments in 2029, the Commission plans to hold annual thematic discussions until 2028 based on the High-level Declaration and the subsequently adopted CND workplan. The 2019 Ministerial Declaration Follow-up Portal contains all interventions shared with UNODC that were made at the annual thematic discussions.
