"Pill popping culture" grows as people use drugs to change image and behaviour
People in developed countries seeking to control their image or behaviour are overusing drugs, fuelling a culture of substance-taking to deal with a variety of non-medical problems, the United Nations International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) has warned.
In its just-released annual report, the INCB points to loose regulation, unreliable information regarding medical needs, aggressive marketing techniques, and improper -- or even unethical -- prescription practices as the main reasons for the oversupply of controlled substances such as benzodiazepines and various amphetamine-type stimulants.
The report points out how insomnia, anxiety, obesity and child hyperactivity are increasingly being treated by psychotropic substances, and warns that prolonged, excessive consumption of those drugs could result in physical and mental suffering.
Performance-enhancing or image-making drugs -- anorectics for slimming purposes, steriods for building muscles, ritalin for hyperactivity disorder, and viagra for sexual performance -- are 10 times more popular in the United States than in Western Europe, according to the report.
"We have what we may call without exaggeration a pill-popping culture," said INCB Vice President Herbert S. Okun.
The trend in the developed countries is to treat the symptoms rather than the causes of the disorder, contributing to the excessive consumption of controlled drugs, he pointed out. "As of now there is no neurological evidence -- there is no physiological evidence -- that ADD [attention deficit disorder] exists, yet we have hyperactive children, so therefore the treatment tends to be symptomatic and often excessive."
The "medicalization" of social problems has also contributed to this trend, he said. "People tend to say 'well you know something's wrong with Johnny, it must be a medical problem,' and that leads to overconsumption."
Mr. Okun emphasized that the medical profession is responsible for appropriate prescribing, while the pharmaceutical industry must work to curb excessive drug consumption.
"Most manufacturers exhibit responsible and ethical behaviour in promoting their medicines, but certain controlled drugs are still promoted by manufacturers when they know that better treatment options or safer alternatives are available, and some companies provide direct financial support to advocacy groups to disseminate promotional material for their drugs," he observed.
The Board, an independent and quasi-judicial control organ for the implementation of the UN drug control conventions, stressed that government authorities, health-care professionals, pharmaceutical companies and consumers themselves must adopt more responsible and ethical behaviour and adhere to a more rational prescription culture.
"The Board appeals to the pharmaceutical industry to demonstrate social responsibility," said Mr. Okun. "The Board calls on governments to reduce indiscriminate consumption through education, through training, through teaching health personnel and advising the general public."
The report acknowledges that influencing drug consumption trends will be a "slow and difficult process" requiring a change in habits, stereotypes, cultures and individual preferences. But it emphasizes that concerted efforts, lasting several years and supported by many players in society, "can and do succeed."
Next: A region-by-region look at the drug scourge, beginning with its impact on Africa.
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Drug traffickers exploit the Internet to avoid national anti-narcotics laws
Online pharmacies are fuelling the global drug trade by illegally selling controlled substances over the Internet to clients around the world, according to new research by the United Nations International Narcotics Control Board (INCB).
In a report released this week, the INCB documents how these companies are bypassing national anti-drug legislation by using the Internet to sell narcotics. In some cases, the sellers are unlicensed, while in others, drugs are dispensed to people who do not have the required prescriptions. Controlled substances purchased over the Internet are also being shipped in mislabelled letters and parcels so that the traders can elude drug control regulations.
Enterprises engaging in this activity are consciously breaking laws, according to the report. "Those online companies are aware of the illegal nature of their trading, since they assure their customers that, because of the large number of international mail shipments, only a fraction of such shipments can be detected," it states.
While the Board recognizes the value of the Internet in the legal distribution of medicines, it is concerned about the growing illicit online trade, according to INCB Vice President Herbert S. Okun. "What we are seeing is a widespread -- one may use the term 'explosive' -- growth not in the legal prescribing but in the illegal prescribing of illegal drugs," he said.
Although exact statistics on the problem are hard to come by, Mr. Okun pointed out that there is abundant evidence of the illicit online drug trade because the practice is so open. "If you go on the 'net you will see, very easily, advertisements for how to grow hydroponic cannabis," he said. "You'll find the recipe for ecstasy, plus other illegal substances, and on and on."
The report underscores the difficulty of tackling the problem because of differences in national laws. In response, the Board recommends that governments explore the possibility of elaborating common legal standards, and coordinate the activities of their law enforcement authorities against the misuse of the Internet.
"We appeal to governments to examine their own national legislation, to get together among themselves to decide what must be done to control this illegal activity," Mr. Okun said.
Based in Vienna, the INCB is an independent, quasi-judicial control organ for the implementation of various UN drug control treaties. It is comprised of three members with medical, pharmacological or pharmaceutical experience as well as 10 members nominated by governments who serve in their personal capacities.
Tomorrow: A look at how legal drugs for psychological and social problems are being aggressively marketed, overprescribed and, ultimately, abused.
