Myanmar opium farming booming after coup, says UN’s drug office

Subject : International Relations

Section: International Institutions

Concept :

Opium poppy production in Myanmar ramped up dramatically following the 2021 military coup, the United Nations’ drugs office said on Thursday (Jan 26), as political and economic turmoil drove farmers to cultivate the crop.
The area of land used for opium poppy cultivation expanded by a third to just over 40,000ha in 2021-22 – the first full growing season since the coup – according to a United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) report.

United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)

It was established in 1997 and was named as a United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in 2002.
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime is established to implement the Organization’s drug programme and crime programme in an integrated manner, addressing the interrelated issues of drug control, crime prevention and international terrorism in the context of sustainable development and human security.
It acts as the Office for Drug Control and Crime Prevention by combining the United Nations International Drug Control Program (UNDCP) and the Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Division of the United Nations Office at Vienna.

World Drug Report

The UNODC releases the World Drug Report annually.
The report gives valuable information relating to drug abuse worldwide, the trends in the production and use of illicit drugs of various types, etc.
Other Important Publications: Surveys to Monitor Illicit Crops, Regional Crime Studies, and Policy Reviews.