In June 2006, the United Nations issued a report with an encouraging conclusion: “overall illegal drug production and consumption is being contained on a global basis,” which is a breath of fresh air to government authorities concerned with illegal drugs and to parents everywhere. The report also cited significant reductions in opium poppy cultivation around the world.

It looks like the good guys are winning the war against illegal drugs but the fight is still far from over. Antonio Costa, the U.N. counter-narcotics chief, said that the global drug problem has been contained in terms of supply, demand and trafficking due largely to the activism and diligence of international governments and the private sector. However, Costa clarifies, "When I say 'containment worldwide' - it does not mean that all countries have moved in the same direction. Some countries have improved. In some other instances, they have worsened."

The U.N. Office on Drug Control and Crime said in its annual World Drug Report that the cultivation of opium poppy fell by 22 percent in 2005. Opium poppy is the raw material used to produce heroin. The large reduction in opium poppy production can be traced to large reductions achieved in Southeast Asia, a longtime hub of the illegal drug industry. In addition, the report noted that cocaine’s popularity and use in the United States and the Americas as a whole has been declining.

Meanwhile, there are also trends that are not very encouraging. In Europe, for instance, there is a reported increase in the consumption of cocaine and amphetamines. Marijuana is still the most popular drug in the world, with a high rate of consumption in many parts of the globe. The report estimates that about four percent of the world’s population use marijuana compared to the one percent usage of all other drugs combined. The report says marijuana is also the most-interdicted illegal product in the world, with more than a whopping 6,000 metric tons seized from 2002 to 2004, compared with 1,200 tons of coca leaf, 588 tons of cocaine, 209 tons of opium, and 60 tons of heroin. Overall, an estimated five percent of the world’s population use illegal drugs.

Costa warns that marijuana is “out of control.” He cited figures showing162 million people used marijuana at least once in 2004. "It's out of control in supply because it's a weed; it grows everywhere. It's out of control in demand because it's erroneously considered a light drug," he said. "But, and indeed, it is extremely problematic because of much-increased THC, tetrahydrocannabinol, content."

During a press conference announcing the UN report’s findings attended by Costa and officials from the Bush administration, including White House Drug Policy Director John Walters, special mention was made of the contributions by Colombian President Alvaro Uribe to the counter-narcotics movement. "No nation has done more to reduce drugs and terror than Colombia under the presidency of Uribe," said John Walters. "He has been aggressive, and the consequences have been the extension of the rule of law, economic growth, [and] the ability of a nation to pull itself back from drug trafficking and drug terror as never before."

Reports indicate that the United States has contributed about $4 billion is aid to Colombia in recent years, a large part of which was used to fight the illegal drug trade. Meanwhile, the same kind of assistance may be necessary for other part of the Andean region as well, particularly Peru and Bolivia, where Assistant Secretary of State for International Narcotics Anne Patterson said coca leaf cultivation may be on the rebound.

Costa stressed that the battle against illegal drugs is just about cracking down on production and trafficking. More importantly, governments should focus on the demand for narcotics as well through effective prevention and treatment programs.