First released in 1999, this report is now prepared annually by the Research Section of the United Nations International Drug Control Programme (UNDCP), which is part of the Vienna-based United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). The report takes a statistical approach to assessing the status of world supply in and demand for illicit drugs. Based on data and estimates collected or prepared by Governments and UNDCP, as well as by other specialized agencies and international institutions, it attempts to identify trends in the evolution of global illicit drug markets. Reporting on a largely clandestine sector where information is by definition difficult to obtain, Global Illicit Drug Trends constitutes at present the most comprehensive published source of estimates and statistics on the global drug problem.