At a time of increased demand for controlled medicines due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) has warned of ‘a hidden epidemic: drug use among older persons’ and the harm the pandemic has caused to the health and well-being of this population group.
In its Annual Report 2020 launched on 25 March, INCB has highlighted that as the world population ages, there is an increased vulnerability to drug use and drug dependence for older people. INCB calls on governments to focus on drug use among older persons and extend and integrate support to help reverse this alarming trend.
UNODC South Asia conducted a virtual launch of the INCB Annual Report 2020, featuring experts and participants from Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka.
