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World Drug Day


Friday 26 June was the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, also known as 'World Drug Day'. It was celebrated in Myanmar by the destruction of more than $839 million worth of seized illegal drugs


Read the brief article below about World Drug Day and answer the questions with no more than two words from the reading.


  1. How often is 'World Drug Day' celebrated?

  2. What has been causing difficulties for those attempting to counter the drug problem?

  3. What does the 2020 'World Drug Day' want to increase?

  4. What has the Myanmar government repeatedly been trying to do to the drug trade?

  5. When did the police operation in Shan State end?

  6. What has assisted drug production in Myanmar over the years?

  7. What are ethnic armies accused of using drugs for?

  8. What type of drugs are now being produced?

 

The International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, also known as 'World Drug Day', is celebrated annually on 26 June. The theme of World Drug Day 2020 is "Better Knowledge for Better Care."

The field of addressing the drug problem has been 'plagued' by misinformation of many kinds. This year's World Drug Day aims at improving the understanding of the world drug problem and at fostering greater international cooperation. Individuals, non-profit organizations, the private sector and Member States are urged to get involved in a social media campaign to mark this day.


In Myanmar, more than $839 million worth of seized illegal drugs were destroyed. The country has long been a major source of illegal drugs for East and Southeast Asia, despite repeated efforts by the Myanmar government to crack down on the drug trade.


Over roughly a six-week period ending in early April, a combined police and army operation seized around 18 tons of drugs in and around a village in Shan state, including almost 200 million methamphetamine tablets.


Myanmar has a long history of drug production, fueled by decades of civil war. The government says some ethnic armies -– which control large swaths of remote territory -– use narcotics to fund their insurgencies and there is now clear evidence of the involvement of transnational organized crime groups in the Myanmar drug trade.


The country's vast, mountainous and forested borders mean producers can move large quantities of cheaply produced drugs into neighboring countries with little fear of capture.

The area where the borders of Myanmar, Laos and Thailand meet became known as the Golden Triangle when it was notorious for the production and trafficking of opium and its derivative, heroin. In recent decades, production has largely switched to synthetic drugs such as methamphetamine, and now increasingly to opioids such as fentanyl.


When you are ready, enter you answers in the sheet below.


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