Two other representatives, however, were as adamantly opposed to any such government action, which, in their view, facilitated drug abuse; one of them pointed to the fact that, in its report, the Board stressed that any prophylactic measures which were urgently needed should neither promote nor facilitate drug abuse. Still another representative hoped that legal difficulties would not be identified in such needle distribution schemes since, in his view, it was an important element of new national drug policy which should be encouraged. 69. In response to a suggestion by the Board that his organization should provide assistance to States by examining the effects of poly-drug and cocaine abuse and advise on available treatment methods, the observer for WHO informed the Commission that the WHO Expert Committee on Drug Dependence would examine that suggestion at a meeting later in 1990. 70. One representative, in commenting on the supplement to the report for 1989, commended the Board on its special study on unmet licit medical needs for opiates and proposed that the Commission should endorse the Board's report on the contents of the study. Another representative drew attention to the fact that the diminution of stocks in his country to a point where there were practically no excess stocks had been largely the result of weather conditions in recent years. If harvests improved as a result of a change in the meteorological situation, stocks might again increase. 71. The President of the Board thanked all delegations for the encouraging statements made with regard to the work of the Board. He stated that the Board had taken note of all the remarks and would take them into account with a view to making further improvements on the quality of its work. In response 
**Analysis**
The text discusses the work of a Board related to drug policy and abuse, and the comments of representatives on the Board's report. It appears to be a discussion about health and policy, rather than a specific economic or environmental issue.

**Category**
Health