The World - News from Jan. 13, 1987

Drug abuse has spread to virtually every country in the world and “threatens all segments of society--even children,” the U.N. International Narcotics Control Board said in its annual report. It called for creating an expert panel to fight cocaine, noting that the drug is used regularly by up to 5 million Americans and an increasing number of Europeans. “The crisis in drug abuse has reached such dimensions that it occupies priority attention at the highest level in many countries,” the report said. It warned that “crack”--pure crystalline cocaine--is particularly hazardous.