International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking: Prevention is the beginning of recovery

Will Melbourne, 19, from England, lost his chance to make amends forever after taking two pills he bought online. Thinking they were anti-anxiety pills, Will had no idea they contained the highly addictive substance metonitazene.

Within an hour of drinking it, his respiratory system was so constricted that he stopped breathing.

Will's tragedy is just one of thousands of heartbreaking cases around the world - victims of the increasingly sophisticated and cunning tricks of drug crime rings.

According to a report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), in recent years, drug criminal organizations have shifted strongly to the production and distribution of new synthetic narcotic substances (NPS).

With more than 1,180 NPS recorded in 2022 alone, drug criminals are using extremely sophisticated tricks to defraud and poison young people, often disguised as legal drugs or familiar foods.

New generation drugs are “transformed” into the form of anti-anxiety pills, painkillers, lozenges, pleasure drinks, paper stamps or even e-cigarette liquid. With just a few clicks, young people can easily buy them through dark websites or online black market channels.

Drug criminals use platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, Telegram... to approach, entice and even instruct young people on how to use drugs through trends, challenges or disguised instructional videos .

In addition, new generation drug tablets or solutions are packaged like genuine pharmaceuticals, with eye-catching labels, making many teenagers mistakenly believe they are safe.

To attract new users, many distributors also organize "free trial events" or launch promotional campaigns aimed directly at young people.

In many countries, synthetic drugs such as ketamine, MDMA, LSD or nitazene are mixed into drinks and food at music festivals or youth parties.

As a result, sudden deaths like that of Will Melbourne are no longer uncommon in the UK, the US, France, Estonia, Ireland, Latvia and many other countries.

Not only infiltrating unstable areas in Central America, Southeast Asia or the Middle East, new generation drugs have penetrated deeply into developed countries such as the UK, the US, Canada, Australia, and even the Nordic countries.

In the US, deaths from fentanyl and synthetic opioids are expected to exceed 77,000 in 2022 alone – more than the number of Americans killed in the major wars of the 20th and early 21st centuries combined.

In Europe, the European Union (EU) has also recorded a spike in overdoses due to NPS and nitazene.

Soldiers stand guard next to seized drugs in Esmeraldas, Ecuador.

Recognizing the plots and tricks of drug criminals, the international community is shifting its approach, in addition to "fighting supply", it is also "reducing demand" and "reducing harm" with a focus on prevention and strengthening the psychosocial resistance of young people.

The theme of this year’s UNODC International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking (26 June) is “The Evidence Is Clear: Invest in Prevention. Break the Cycle. #StopOrganizedCrime,” emphasizing the need to act at the root.

From kindergarten to high school, many countries have integrated drug prevention education into their curriculum. Vietnam with its “Drug-Free Schools” program is a typical example.

Many countries have developed innovative communication campaigns, taking advantage of social networks - where criminals once spread their traps - to convey strong, easy-to-understand and easily spread messages about the dangers of new-generation drugs. For example, the UNODC's "Friends in Focus" (FIF) program or the EU's "Safe Future" initiative are creating positive effects in the youth community.

Providing timely counseling and psychological support is also a solution of interest. Canada and many European countries are currently implementing hotlines and free psychological support applications for adolescents at risk of drug addiction.

Many schools are adopting the Icelandic Prevention Model (IPM), which helps students develop refusal skills, handle peer pressure, and strengthen family and community connections.

Meanwhile, UNODC and other international organizations are stepping up inter-sectoral cooperation, focusing on dismantling NPS production lines and preventing dirty drug money from entering the financial system.

In Vietnam, the National Target Program on Drug Prevention and Control by 2030 sets the general goal of promoting the combined strength of the political system and the entire population in drug prevention and control.

Deputy Prime Minister Le Thanh Long and delegates visited the exhibition area on drug prevention and control activities.

In addition to the raid and destruction activities, communication work on prevention and community education, especially targeting young people, is being strongly deployed from the grassroots to the digital environment.

During the 2025 Drug Prevention and Control Action Month, a series of interactive communication campaigns, warning videos, educational minigames... were deployed on platforms such as TikTok, Facebook, and YouTube to reach out more deeply to young people.

Experts agree that the fight against drugs cannot just focus on eradication and dealing with the consequences, but must start from the root: prevention - education - demand reduction. Strengthening community capacity, especially targeting youth, is a long-term and sustainable strategy.

UNODC and countries are committed to continuing to expand cooperation and increase investment in prevention, treatment and social support programmes. With concerted efforts, the world hopes to gradually break the spiral of drugs, organized crime and social instability.

As UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres emphasized: "Prevention is the beginning of recovery." Only when the whole society gets involved, when the young generation is fully equipped with awareness and self-protection skills, can the world hope to end the cycle of tragedies like Will Melbourne and millions of other young people are facing./.

According to vietnamplus.vn

Source: https://baolaocai.vn/ngay-quoc-te-phong-chong-ma-tuy-phong-ngua-la-khoi-dau-cua-hoi-sinh-post403852.html