The UN International Narcotics Control Board issued the warning in its 2000 report. It looked at the use of mood altering drugs like benzodiazepines. It said the drugs were often given for what were social problems, such as unemployment or relationship difficulties, both in developed countries and those which were seeing fast economic growth, such as Malaysia and Singapore. A survey by the INCB found many patients were prescribed the mood-altering stimulants to treat mental and psychological disorders, even though they were not diagnosed as mentally ill.
Benzodiazepines are a major problem.
But in the US, the forms of benzodiazepine used to treat anxiety and obesity disorders are used 10 times more often than in Europe. Online trafficking of drugs on the internet was also highlighted as a growing problem. Although the board said the internet was a low cost way of getting supplies to remote areas, it said it provided easy access to drugs. Policing drugs trading on the internet is a high priority, said the board, which is urging governments to set up regulatory controls for online pharmacies. It praised international co-operation between Thailand and the United States, through which online pharmacies were closed.