WORLD USERS AND PRODUCERS OF ILLICIT DRUGS

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) -The following are some statistics produced by the
U.N. International Drug Program in preparation for the World Drug Problem
summit opening Monday:

USERS, WORLDWIDE (1997):

Heroin and other opiate substances -- 8 million people

Cocaine - 13.3 million people

Cannabis (marijuana, hashish) - 141.2 million

Hallucinogens -- 25.5 million people

Amphetamine stimulants -- 30.2 million people

PRODUCERS: OPIUM POPPY - About 5,000 tons of illicit opium were produced in
1997, less than in 1994 but 1,000 tons higher than in 1990. Myanmar (Burma)
produces the most, followed by Afghanistan. Together they account for 80
percent of the world's poppy cultivation. The third largest producer is
Laos. Colombia and Mexico are relatively minor producers.

COCA - About 303,000 tons were produced in 1997, a drop of 60,000 tons
since 1990. Most of the world's illicit cocaine comes from Peru, Colombia
and Bolivia with small plots in Brazil, Guyana and Venezuela. The biggest
drop, 40 percent in two years, is in Peru. The largest increase is in
Colombia.

CANNABIS - The area for growing the less harmful marijuana or hashish is
six times higher and far more widespread than poppy and coca leaf
cultivation and no precise estimate is available. Wild growth of cannabis
is found in Russia, Kazakhstan and other central Asian countries. Plants
are found on every continent, including Morocco, Afghanistan, Pakistan and
Lebanon where the crop has declined sharply in recent years. In Latin
America, Mexico and Colombia followed by Brazil lead the list. While
production is down in Latin America, cultivation has increased in Asia,
Africa and Europe.

Checked-by: Richard Lake