The European Commission said in a report Tuesday that the world's drug problems have not changed much since 1998 despite additional efforts to help users and tougher policies against traffickers.

The study on which the report is based has found no evidence that the global drugs problem has been reduced during the period from 1998 to 2007.

Broadly speaking, the situation has improved a little in some of the richer countries, while for others it worsened. For some, too, the problem has worsened sharply and substantially.

The situation has become more complex, says the report. Prices for drugs in most Western countries have fallen since 1998 by as much as 10 percent to 30 percent, despite tougher sentences for drug sellers. At the same time, there is no evidence that drugs have become more difficult to obtain.

Cannabis use has become a "normal" part of young people's lives in many Western countries, up to 50 percent of people born after 1980 have at least tried it. The majority of those people, however, do not continue to use it beyond early adulthood.

The study sought to provide realistic estimates of the total size of the illicit drugs market in terms of annual revenues generated. The result shows that such overall estimates are very difficult to make, mostly due to a lack of reliable data on production, consumption and trade of drugs in much of the world.

The report also provides insights into the economic fundamentals of the global illicit drugs market, with estimates of production costs and value added throughout the trafficking chain from initial production to final retail sale.

The distribution of income among those involved in the drug trade was analyzed and revealed a surprisingly mundane picture with only a relatively small minority believed to be making significant amounts of money.

The publication of the report coincides with a high-level meeting that takes place in Vienna this week as part of the annual session of the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs.

Ministers from around the world will finalize a period of reflection on the assessment of the implementation of the political declaration on the world drugs problem adopted in 1998. They were expected to adopt a new political declaration for the period 2009-2019. The report will be presented to the meeting.

The study has been commissioned by European Commission.

The study, contracted out to two research institutions, was developed in the past 12 months and reflects a comprehensive analysis of available information and data in 18 countries across the globe: Australia, Brazil, Britain, Canada, China, Colombia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, India, Mexico, the Netherlands, Portugal, Russia, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey and the United States.