As part of the United Nations system, WHO’s role under the conventions is to protect individuals and societies from harm due to drug use and to promote public health interventions to reduce harm. WHO focuses on prevention of drug use, treatment of drug use disorders (including both harmful use and dependence), and prevention and management of associated health and social conditions and public health problems in order to reduce the health and social burden attributable to drug use.
WHO supports a balanced and mutually reinforcing approach to reduction of supply and demand. The Organization views drug control measures as means to protect the health and welfare of humankind, as required by the preambles to the conventions, and works towards improving access to controlled medicines for medical and scientific needs in line with the objectives of the conventions.
Through implementation of the conventions, the WHO seeks to fulfill the “dual obligation of governments to establish a system of control that ensures the adequate availability of controlled substances for medical and scientific purposes, while simultaneously preventing abuse, diversion and trafficking”.
Controlled medicines in pain management and palliative care
WHO has developed treatment guidelines that cover the treatment of pain targeted at both health-care professionals and policy-makers. The guidelines are designed to help improve access to controlled medicines, by determining when those opioid medicines are preferred and when non-opioid medicines are preferred.