VOA常速英语:Unified Effort Needed Against Synthetic Drugs(翻译)

Illicitly used Synthetic drugs are chemically produced psychoactive substances that mimic the effects of illegal narcotics, which have been altered just enough to avoid classification as illegal.And this is one reason why these chemicals are dangerous. Since the formula for any given drug is constantly changing to stay one step ahead of the law,it is challenging to predict the effects the new chemical will have on the user’s body.
非法使用的合成药物是用化学方法生产的精神活性药物，该类药物模仿非法毒品的功效，合成药物已经被改变仅足以避免其被归为非法一类。这就是为什么这些化学品是危险的一个原因。因为任何给定的药物配方一直领先法律一步发生变化，因此预测新化学药品将对使用者的身体有何影响就具有挑战性。

Indeed, synthetic drugs are among the most destructive substances on the illicit market – especially synthetic opioids.According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2015, over 33,000 overdose deaths in the U.S. involved prescription or illicit opioids – an increase of nearly 60% over the last 5 years,and nearly 60 percent of those deaths involved heroin or synthetic opioids like fentanyl.
事实上，合成药物一直属于非法市场上最有害的药物——特别是合成的阿片类药物。根据美国疾病控制和预防中心的数据显示，2015年美国有超过33000过量死亡病例涉及药方和非法阿片类药物——在过去5年增长了近百分之六十，近百分之六十的死亡病例与海洛因和合成的阿片类药物，如芬太尼有关。

Despite this, there is every indication that the manufacture and availability of these substances are increasing.
尽管如此，种种迹象表明这些药物的生产增加了且越来越多人可以获得这些药物。

“Transnational criminal organizations dealing with illicit drugs are relying increasingly on synthetic products to harm our societies.They operate complex supply and distribution networks that cross multiple international boundaries,”said Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs Luis Arreaga at the Bangkok Three Conference in late February.
“经营非法药物的跨国犯罪组织越来越依赖合成产品来危害我们的社会。他们操控跨越多个国际边界的复杂的供应和分配网，”国际反毒品和执法事务局的首席副助理部长路易斯·阿里亚加二月底在曼谷三国会议上说。

“The United Nations reports that more than 700 new psychoactive substances have emerged over the last five years, and what we know about these substances is disconcerting and challenging because the international architecture set up to treat drug abuse and control the spread of those substances has not kept pace.We must adapt and use all the tools at our disposal.”
“联合国报告称过去5年已经出现了700多种新的精神活性药物，我们所了解的这些药物的信息令人不安且很有挑战性。因为为应对药物滥用并控制药物扩散而建立的国际体系没有跟上步伐。我们必须适应和使用所有方法来处理这些情况。”

Together, the international community must take four measures, said Mr. Arreaga. First, we must reduce the number of first time users, particularly the young, through education, prevention, and treatment.Second, we must share information on new substances across borders, to prepare for emerging trends.Third, we must develop flexible domestic systems that can handle the influx of new drugs.And finally, we must continue to use the international illicit drug control treaties to defend against the most prevalent and dangerous substances.
国际社会必须共同采取4种措施，阿里亚加说。第一，我们必须通过教育、预防和治疗减少初次用户的数量，特别是年轻人。第二，我们必须共享关于跨境新药物的信息，为其新出现的趋势做准备。第三，我们必须发展灵活的国内体系以掌控新药的流入。最后，我们必须继续利用国际非法药物控制条约以抵御最流行、最危险的药物。

“Psychoactive substances require urgent attention from the international community,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Arreaga.“Decades of our mutual experience battling the drug problem have shown that voluntary international cooperation is vitally important.”
“精神活性药物需要引起国际社会的紧急关注，”首席副助理部长阿里亚加说。“我们几十年来对抗药物问题的经验证明了自发的国际合作至关重要。”