[3] These include 186 out of 193 United Nations member states (not Equatorial Guinea, Kiribati, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Sudan, or Tuvalu) and the Holy See, the European Union, the Cook Islands, Niue, and the State of Palestine.

It cautions that the drug trade and related activities "undermine the legitimate economies and threaten the stability, security and sovereignty of States."

The sense of urgency is underscored by the image of innocent boys and girls being exploited: Much of the treaty is devoted to fighting organized crime by mandating cooperation in tracing and seizing drug-related assets.

It also requires parties to empower its courts or other competent authorities to order that bank, financial, or commercial records be made available or seized.

In addition, the Convention requires the parties to provide mutual legal assistance to one another upon request, for purposes of searches, seizures, service of judicial documents, and so on.

The Commission on Narcotic Drugs has power to decide whether to control a precursor substance, and which Table to place it in.

In their 2003 article, "The Mechanics and Dynamics of the UN System for International Drug Control," David Bewley-Taylor and Cindy Fazey explain that "[t]he 1988 Convention was an attempt to reach a political balance between consumer and producer countries.