Global summit in Bangkok on chemicals used in illegal drugs

The “Precursor Chemicals and New Psychoactive Substances” meeting at the United Nations Conference Centre, attended by 180 delegates from 40 countries, is reportedly the first world meeting of its kind.
Drug production, trafficking and use remain major challenges in many regions including in East and Southeast Asia where the illegal trade is expanding and diversifying with the introduction of new synthetic drugs not under international control.

‘Chemicals key to drug trade’
The conference by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime is focused on co-operation between the public and industry sectors, investigations and information exchange, trends for illegal chemicals’ trade in each region, and guidelines to control new psychoactive substances not yet covered by law.
“If we do not take action to stop chemicals used to make drugs from crossing our borders, we will not stop the drug trade destructive to this country, Southeast Asia and neighbouring regions,” Paiboon said.
Discussions and outcomes from the conference will be used to advance coordinated multilateral approaches to address the challenges in time for the 2016 United Nations General Assembly Special Session on the world drug problem.