"United Nations World 2024 Drug Report" announced

Prof. Sevil Atasoy: "In Türkiye, the demand for cocaine-related drug treatment has increased in the last decade."

Noting that drugs are made with artificial intelligence and new substances are produced, Prof. Atasoy said, "Türkiye is among the leading countries in the use of technology in the fight against smuggling."

The United Nations (UN) Narcotics Control Board (INCB) 2024 Report was announced by Üsküdar University Vice Rector, Member and former President of the United Nations (UN) Narcotics Control Board for the periods 2005-2010, 2015-2022 and 2022-2027 at the same time as the world. Atasoy was accompanied by the President of Üsküdar University, Psychiatrist Prof. Nevzat Tarhan.

The report points out that the surge in the spread of synthetic drugs this year has reshaped illicit markets and replaced some plant-based drugs!

Prof. Nevzat Tarhan: "82 percent of drug users are between the ages of 20-35. 90 percent of those who die from the substance are under the age of 35. The age of drug use is also known to be between 15-24 years old. The fight against addiction cannot be carried out through NGOs. It takes a serious state will."

At the press conference held at Üsküdar University Main Campus Senate Hall, Üsküdar University Vice Rector, 2005-2010, 2015-2022 and 2022-2027 Term Control Board member and former President Prof. Sevil Atasoy shared the INCB 2024 Report.

There are 800,000 probation files related to substance use in Türkiye

President of Üsküdar University Psychiatrist Prof. Nevzat Tarhan, who participated in the meeting online, stated that the UN report presents the profile of the supply of drugs in the world. Tarhan noted that this photo shows that the demand for substance use in the world continues, and that the supply increases when there is demand.

Stating that there is information that 10 million people in Türkiye have substance and behavioral addiction, Prof. Tarhan said that"There are also 800 thousand probation files related to substance use in Türkiye."

"State Addiction Institute should be established"

Noting that the policies related to the fight against addiction should be put on the table again, Prof. Tarhan said, "Because the young population is most affected by this. 82 percent of drug users are between the ages of 20 and 35. 90 percent of those who die from the substance are under the age of 35. The age of drug use is also known to be between 15-24 years old. The fight against addiction cannot be carried out through NGOs. A serious state will is required.”

Pointing out that there is a need for addiction policies, Prof. Tarhan said, "The State Addiction Institute should be established. There is a need for it. This institute will determine addiction policies and collect data.”

Prof. Tarhan also explained that substance use is the most important factor in social decay and family disintegration.

Recently, those who use synthetic drugs come to addiction treatment

Emphasizing that the use of synthetic drugs has increased in Türkiye recently, Prof. Tarhan said, "Recently, the vast majority of patients come with the use of synthetic substances."

Stating that if there is a predisposition in those who use such substances, psychiatric diseases occur immediately, Prof. Tarhan said, "Synthetic stimulants are also recommended for academic success. Students take these stimuli to study. Children with attention problems can be candidates for substance abuse."

Reminding that an addict patient is hospitalized 20 times a year, so addiction-related policies should be reviewed, Tarhan drew attention to the importance of 1st, 2nd and 3rd prevention studies.

Prof. Atasoy: "The illicit synthetic drug industry is expanding rapidly"

Stating that the illegal synthetic drug industry is expanding rapidly, Prof. Sevil Atasoy said, "It is clear that if measures are not taken as soon as possible, this situation will create a global public health problem that will lead to disastrous consequences. Non-medical synthetic drug use and related drug use disorders have already caused hundreds of thousands of deaths and countless personal and societal harms in some countries."

Noting that as the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB), they support governments to address this problem by providing voluntary information exchange and coordination within the scope of our Global Rapid Prevention of Hazardous Substances (GRIDS) and precursor control programs, Prof. Sevil Atasoy said, "In the first part of our report, we aim to increase efforts in the fields of prevention, treatment, rehabilitation, harm reduction, recovery and social integration to protect people from these extremely harmful substances. We emphasized that there is an urgent need."

"Serious disparities persist between countries in the availability of controlled drugs"

Prof. Sevil Atasoy stated the following remarks:

"According to data reported by governments to the INCB under the agreements, serious cross-country disparities persist in pain management, anaesthesia, treatment of neurological and cognitive disorders, and the availability of controlled drugs used in opioid use disorder. The global supply of opiate raw materials exceeds the national requirements, which are also reported to the INCB by Governments. However, we are of the opinion that the notifications of some countries do not fully reflect the actual medical needs. We support Governments in this regard by running the INCB Learning Programme to ensure the availability of controlled substances for medical, scientific and industrial purposes, to improve access to treatment services, as well as to prevent diversion and abuse through illicit channels."

Stating that they signed a memorandum of understanding with the International Hospice and Palliative Care Association in 2024, aiming to increase the availability of controlled substances through research, data and analysis exchange, Prof. Sevil Atasoy said, "Regardless of whether they are caused by natural disasters, armed conflicts or other humanitarian reasons, it is essential to ensure that patients have access to essential medicines and treatment services subject to control, and it covers all kinds of emergencies. As the INCB, we would like to remind states and exporting countries affected by such conditions that simplified control measures can be applied in emergencies as stipulated by the conventions."

"Respect for human rights is inherent in drug control conventions"

Pointing out that ensuring that all patients, everywhere and at any time, have access to internationally controlled medicines and the treatment of drug use disorders is a part of the right to health, Prof. Sevil Atasoy said, "Respect for human rights is inherent in drug control conventions and is a prerequisite for the implementation of these conventions. The INCB has repeatedly called for the inclusion of human rights in the development and implementation of drug policies. Human rights obligations also include the promotion of equality and non-discrimination against drug users, the prohibition of arbitrary arrest and detention, the right to a fair trial for drug-related offences, the principle of proportionality and protection against all forms of cruel and inhuman punishment."

IONICS has led to a number of successful operations

Prof. Sevil Atasoy drew attention to the ten-year activity of the Project Ion Incident Communication System (IONICS), which facilitates the exchange of information on 100 thousand synthetic drug trafficking incidents in 2024, and said that this system, which enables this system to share critical information about incidents related to new psychoactive substances, including high-potency non-medical synthetic opioids, is most recently Operation Zodiac coordinated at the INCB GRIDS Program Cyber Communication Center (GC3) in Vienna and Operation African Star, which led to numerous successful operations.

Noting that these operations disrupt illicit supply chains and reduce the availability of substances in illicit markets worldwide, Prof. Atasoy said, "In addition, our recommendation for the international control of two fentanyl precursors and 16 amphetamine-type stimulant precursors in 2024 has been accepted by the Narcotics Drugs Commission (CND)."

"We look forward to the positive results"

Prof. Atasoy said, "We welcomed the conclusion and adoption of a new United Nations convention on cybercrime in 2024. We are very pleased with the inclusion of drug trafficking, especially with the use of Internet-based technologies, and we look forward to the positive results to be obtained thanks to its implementation."

Increase in methamphetamine smuggling in Türkiye...

Pointing out the remarkable points about Türkiye in the report, Prof. Atasoy said that one of them is the increase in methamphetamine trafficking and the widespread use of cocaine as a transit country.

Noting that there has been a significant increase in methamphetamine seizures, especially since 2019, and that a record 21.9 tons of the substance was seized in 2023, Prof. Atasoy said, "This situation shows that the smuggling of methamphetamine to Türkiye originating from Afghanistan through Iran or directly from Iran continues. On the other hand, although there has been a decrease in captagon seizures compared to 2022, Türkiye is increasingly being used as a transit corridor for cocaine destined from Latin America to Europe, which may be associated with smugglers' efforts to avoid European ports where security is considered tightened."

There is a decrease in the amount of heroin seized

Stating that Türkiye plays an active role in the fight against drug trafficking and that operations are carried out at both national and international levels in this context, Atasoy continued as follows:

"In 2023, 13.7 million 'captagon' tablets were seized, but this number decreased compared to the previous year. A 64 per cent decrease in the amount of heroin seized was also reported, from 22.2 tonnes in 2021 to 8 tonnes in 2022. Since this decrease in the amount of heroin seized may be a result of the Taliban's ban on opium production in Afghanistan, European countries need to be aware that this ban may create conditions that contribute to the use of synthetic opioids."

"Demands for drug treatment linked to cocaine have increased over the past decade"

In the report, it is stated that the use of methamphetamine and 'captagon' has increased in the Middle East and South-West Asia region, including Türkiye, and this situation may put pressure on treatment and rehabilitation services, which already have limited resources, Prof. Atasoy said, "In Türkiye, the demand for drug treatment related to cocaine as a primary use drug has increased in the last decade."

"Traces of substances have also been found in wastewater in Türkiye"

Referring to the issue of wastewater, Prof. Atasoy said, "Although methamphetamine traces are more intense in countries and regions where the substance has historically been concentrated, such as Czechia and Slovakia, traces of the substance have also been found in wastewater in Belgium, East Germany, Spain, the Netherlands (Kingdom) and Türkiye."

It cannot be said that Türkiye is a producer country

Answering the questions of the journalists, Prof. Atasoy stated that substances come to Türkiye from the west, east and south and said, "It cannot be said that Türkiye is a producer country."

Prof. Atasoy also said that it was seen that drugs were produced even in the soap factories of the old regime in Syria, and that the new administration in this country was struggling with this situation.

Artificial intelligence is also used in drug production

Prof. Atasoy said, "The only method to understand whether the methamphetamine caught in Türkiye is from Afghanistan is to understand whether it contains ephedra DNA. We are the first and only team in the world for this. As Üsküdar University..." he said.

Noting that drugs are made with artificial intelligence and new substances are produced, Prof. Atasoy said, "Türkiye is among the leading countries in the use of technology in the fight against smuggling."

What's in the report?

The International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) 2024 Annual Report states that the rapid increase in the production and consumption of synthetic drugs in recent years has created significant challenges for public health and the international drug control system.

Here are some excerpts from the 2024 Report:

"It draws attention to the difficulties in providing access to internationally controlled substances for medical purposes in humanitarian emergencies caused by armed conflicts. Drug control agreements allow for the accelerated movement of controlled substances for medical use in emergencies. The INCB calls on States retaining effective control of foreign territories in the context of armed conflict to take urgent measures to ensure unhindered access to medicines, including those containing internationally controlled substances. The INCB also urges such States to continue to provide access to controlled substances if opioid agonist therapy was provided prior to the invasion."

Predecessors report

The following statements were included in the predecessors report:

"International control of two additional fentanyl precursors, two groups of amphetamine-type stimulant precursors, has come into effect. On December 3, 2024, two fentanyl precursors and two closely related serial design precursors of amphetamine-type stimulants (16 items in total) were added to Table I of the 1988 Convention."

Illegal poppy cultivation in Afghanistan increased in 2024

The report also noted the following:

"Illegal poppy cultivation in Afghanistan increased in 2024 but was still lower in 2022 than before the "drug ban" announced by the de facto authorities. Illegal cultivation area was 12,800 hectares, 19 percent more than the previous year. Methamphetamine production in Afghanistan continues to increase. This is evidenced by the increase in the seizure of this substance in neighboring countries in Central Asia, in South-West Asia and in Türkiye.

Ketamine is present in many national illicit drug markets across Europe...

The ongoing instability in the Syrian Arab Republic since 2011 has led to an increase in the availability and industrial-scale production of captagon, which has been compounded by the increase in the smuggling of crystal methamphetamine. European Union member states have reported a record amount of cocaine seized for the sixth year in a row. Some parts of Europe have seen an increase in the non-medical use of ketamine. Evidence suggests that ketamine is consistently present in many national illicit drug markets across Europe."

 

Üsküdar News Agency (ÜNA)