The International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking is observed every year on June 26 across the world to raise awareness of major problem that illicit drugs.

• The day is also observed as an expression of United Nations’ (UN) determination to strengthen action and cooperation to achieve goal of an international society free of drug abuse.
• The 2018 theme of this day is “Listen First – Listening to children and youth is the first step to help them grow healthy and safe”.

The date was chosen to commemorate Lin Zexu’s (Chinese scholar and official of the Qing dynasty) dismantling of the opium trade in Humen, Guangdong, just before the First Opium War in China (1839–42).

It encourages Commission and UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) to continue their work on international drug control and urges all Governments to provide fullest possible financial and political support to enable UNODC to continue, expand and strengthen its operational and technical cooperation activities, within its mandates.