2007年VOA标准英语-UN Report: Global Drug Abuse Under Control

By Lisa Schlein
Geneva
25 June 2007

The United Nations says there is growing evidence that the worldwide epidemic¹ of drug abuse is being brought under control. In this year's World Drug Report, the United Nations notes there have been significant and positive changes in world drugs markets and that run-away addiction² has slowed. Lisa Schlein reports for VOA from Geneva where the report was released.

UN's 2007 World Drug Report

The U.N. Drug Report shows global markets for illicit³ drugs largely stabilized⁴ in 2005 and 2006. It says the cultivation⁵, production, and consumption of drugs such as cocaine⁶, heroin⁷, cannabis and amphetamines seem to have been brought under control.

It says coca cultivation in the Andean countries continues to fall, driven by significant declines in Colombia. It says the global demand for cocaine also has stabilized. But, it notes the decline in the United States is offset⁸ by alarming increases in some European countries.

The report says the production and consumption of amphetamines has leveled off and for the first time in years, the global production and consumption of cannabis has not gone up.

While all this is good news, the United Nations is quick to say that huge problems with illicit drug abuse remain. It warns against complacency and says the situation could easily deteriorate⁹ again.

The United Nations finds opium¹⁰ cultivation has declined in Myanmar, Laos and the rest of the world. But, it says it increased dramatically in Afghanistan in 2006. The main author of the Report, Thomas Pietschmann, says the southern province of Helmand, which is largely under the control of the Taleban, is on the verge¹¹ of becoming the world's biggest drug supplier.

"We see a very, very close link between drug production and insurgency¹² and security or lack of security," said Thomas Pietschmann. "But, it is also clear that the original strategy of the allied¹³ forces to ignore the opium poppy was not particularly successful because it created all the financial revenues for the insurgency to operate and become even more powerful."

The Report puts the value of the illicit drugs market at $322 billion a year.

It says Africa is being targeted by traffickers seeking new routes, including cocaine traffickers from Colombia and heroin smugglers from Afghanistan. Pietschmann says there is a spillover effect from the increased trafficking and this is leading to growing drug consumption in Africa.

"People are getting paid in drugs," he said. "In order to make this into money they have to sell it. They do not have other possibilities, so they sell the drugs locally and the market is being created. And, thus we see also in Africa increasingly markets being created for heroin and for cocaine even though the levels if you compare it to America or to Europe are still very small."

Pietschmann calls this situation alarming. He says Africa is a poor continent and cannot deal with a plague of drug abuse and addiction.

The report says drug law enforcement has improved and large seizures¹⁴ of cocaine and heroin have helped contain the drug problem. At the same time, it notes there are 25 million problem drug users in the world. It says more attention must be paid to drug prevention and treatment.

1 epidemic   

n.流行病；盛行；adj.流行性的，流传极广的

参考例句：

• That kind of epidemic disease has long been stamped out.那种传染病早已绝迹。
• The authorities tried to localise the epidemic.当局试图把流行病限制在局部范围。

2 addiction   

n.上瘾入迷，嗜好

参考例句：

• He stole money from his parents to feed his addiction.他从父母那儿偷钱以满足自己的嗜好。
• Areas of drug dealing are hellholes of addiction,poverty and murder.贩卖毒品的地区往往是吸毒上瘾、贫困和发生谋杀的地方。

3 illicit   

adj.非法的，禁止的，不正当的

参考例句：

• He had an illicit association with Jane.他和简曾有过不正当关系。
• Seizures of illicit drugs have increased by 30% this year.今年违禁药品的扣押增长了30%。

4 stabilized   

v.（使）稳定， （使）稳固( stabilize的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The patient's condition stabilized. 患者的病情稳定下来。
• His blood pressure has stabilized. 他的血压已经稳定下来了。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

5 cultivation   

n.耕作，培养，栽培（法），养成

参考例句：

• The cultivation in good taste is our main objective.培养高雅情趣是我们的主要目标。
• The land is not fertile enough to repay cultivation.这块土地不够肥沃，不值得耕种。

6 cocaine   

n.可卡因，古柯碱（用作局部麻醉剂）

参考例句：

• That young man is a cocaine addict.那个年轻人吸食可卡因成瘾。
• Don't have cocaine abusively.不可滥服古柯碱。

7 heroin   

n.海洛因

参考例句：

• Customs have made their biggest ever seizure of heroin.海关查获了有史以来最大的一批海洛因。
• Heroin has been smuggled out by sea.海洛因已从海上偷运出境。

8 offset   

n.分支，补偿；v.抵消，补偿

参考例句：

• Their wage increases would be offset by higher prices.他们增加的工资会被物价上涨所抵消。
• He put up his prices to offset the increased cost of materials.他提高了售价以补偿材料成本的增加。

9 deteriorate   

v.变坏；恶化；退化

参考例句：

• Do you think relations between China and Japan will continue to deteriorate?你认为中日关系会继续恶化吗？
• He held that this would only cause the situation to deteriorate further.他认为，这只会使局势更加恶化。

10 opium   

n.鸦片；adj.鸦片的

参考例句：

• That man gave her a dose of opium.那男人给了她一剂鸦片。
• Opium is classed under the head of narcotic.鸦片是归入麻醉剂一类的东西。

11 verge   

n.边，边缘；v.接近，濒临

参考例句：

• The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
• She was on the verge of bursting into tears.她快要哭出来了。

12 insurgency   

n.起义；暴动；叛变

参考例句：

• And as in China, unrest and even insurgency are widespread. 而在中国，动乱甚至暴乱都普遍存在。 来自互联网
• Dr Zyphur is part an insurgency against this idea. 塞弗博士是这一观点逆流的一部分。 来自互联网

13 allied   

adj.协约国的；同盟国的

参考例句：

• Britain was allied with the United States many times in history.历史上英国曾多次与美国结盟。
• Allied forces sustained heavy losses in the first few weeks of the campaign.同盟国在最初几周内遭受了巨大的损失。

14 seizures   

n.起获( seizure的名词复数 )；没收；充公；起获的赃物

参考例句：

• Seizures of illicit drugs have increased by 30% this year. 今年违禁药品的扣押增长了30%。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Other causes of unconsciousness predisposing to aspiration lung abscess are convulsive seizures. 造成吸入性肺脓肿昏迷的其他原因，有惊厥发作。 来自辞典例句