| Hans-Günter Meyer-Thompson | International
Report of the International Narcotics Control Board for 2018
Report of the International Narcotics Control Board for 2018
(...) A major challenge is the disparate access to and availability of internationally controlled medica-tions. People in many countries experience untreated pain and surgery without anaesthesia, including in emergency situations; in other regions, the non-rational prescription of opioid-based pain medications has contributed to a public health crisis and an increasing number of overdose deathsDespite evidence of effectiveness, the use of internationally controlled methadone and buprenor-phine for the treatment of opioid dependence is limited in some countries, including countries where there are significant levels of opioid dependence. (INCB, Wien, 05.03.2019)