World News and Trends- Drug addiction: An enormous global industry
According to a recent UN report, the illegal-drug industry generates $400 billion to $1 trillion in revenues and accounts for 8 percent of global trade-an industry larger than sales of iron or steel and almost as great as oil and gasoline or textiles.
Cocaine accounts for some $130 billion of the drug trade, followed by $110 billion for heroin, $75 billion for marijuana and hashish and more than $60 billion for synthetic drugs.
The amount spent on illegal drugs is roughly double that spent on legal pharmaceuticals, which account for $233 billion annually, according to the report. Drug users spend more for deadly addictive drugs than they do for legal medicinal drugs, cars or clothing.
Drug abuse exacts an enormous financial toll on American society, costing an average of $300 per person annually in added medical costs, criminal activity and declines in productivity. On average, health costs for a drug abuser are about 80 percent higher than for others of the same age.
The United States has an estimated 12.8 million drug abusers, equaling 6.1 percent of the population.
In spite of some reports of slowing drug usage, the reports stated that global production of coca leaf and opium have roughly tripled in the past 10 years, and global marijuana output has increased 50 percent. (Source: Gannett News Service.)
An Article from:
Good News Magazine: July - August 1998
Course Content
John Ross Schroeder
John died on March 8, 2014, in Oxford, England, four days after suffering cardiac arrest while returning home from a press event in London. John was 77 and still going strong.
Some of John's work for The Good News appeared under his byline, but much didn't. He wrote more than a thousand articles over the years, but also wrote the Questions and Answers section of the magazine, compiled our Letters From Our Readers, and wrote many of the items in the Current Events and Trends section. He also contributed greatly to a number of our study guides and Bible Study Course lessons. His writing has touched the lives of literally millions of people over the years.
John traveled widely over the years as an accredited journalist, especially in Europe. His knowledge of European and Middle East history added a great deal to his articles on history and Bible prophecy.
In his later years he also pastored congregations in Northern Ireland and East Sussex, and that experience added another dimension to his writing. He and his wife Jan were an effective team in our British Isles office near their home.
John was a humble servant who dedicated his life to sharing the gospel—the good news—of Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of God to all the world, and his work was known to readers in nearly every country of the world.
Scott Ashley
Scott Ashley was managing editor of Beyond Today magazine, United Church of God booklets and its printed Bible Study Course until his retirement in 2023. He also pastored three congregations in Colorado for 10 years from 2011-2021. He and his wife, Connie, live near Denver, Colorado.
Mr. Ashley attended Ambassador College in Big Sandy, Texas, graduating in 1976 with a theology major and minors in journalism and speech. It was there that he first became interested in publishing, an industry in which he worked for 50 years.
During his career, he has worked for several publishing companies in various capacities. He was employed by the United Church of God from 1995-2023, overseeing the planning, writing, editing, reviewing and production of Beyond Today magazine, several dozen booklets/study guides and a Bible study course covering major biblical teachings. His special interests are the Bible, archaeology, biblical culture, history and the Middle East.
