2nd of three partsSEEKING to address a global crisis that has links to Asia, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) last week announced a new initiative against synthetic drugs. The strategy involves four "spheres of action": multilateralism and international cooperation, early warnings on emerging synthetic drug threats, science-informed health responses, and counter-narcotic interventions. Taking swift action against the synthetic drugs problem could ensure that others do not feel similarly abandoned, Waly said. A major challenge is that synthetic drugs are easy to make and intercepting them is difficult because the ingredients used to make them are legal. The chemical was bound for an area in northern Myanmar notorious for the industrial-scale manufacturing of synthetic drugs.

Source: Manila Times November 25, 2021 22:09 UTC