Cannabis most widely used drug globally, followed by opioids, amphetamines, cocaine and ecstasy
There has been a concerning rise in global drug use, with users worldwide numbering 292 million in 2022, a 20 per cent increase over the past decade, according to a report released by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) on June 27, 2024.
Cannabis still remains the most widely used drug globally, with 228 million users. It is followed by opioids (60 million users), amphetamines (30 million users), cocaine (23 million users), and ecstasy (20 million users), according to the report.
Even worse, only one in 11 people suffering from drug use disorders receives treatment. This is despite the fact that an estimated 64 million people worldwide suffer from such disorders.
“Women, in particular, face significant barriers, with only one in 18 women with drug use disorders receiving treatment compared to one in seven men,” a statement by the UNODC noted.
“The situation is serious. Our responses cannot wait. Our responses cannot be disjointed,” Marco Teixeira, UNODC Regional Representative for South Asia, said while presenting the findings of the report at the UN House in New Delhi.
“Evidence-based prevention programmes give people, especially young people, the knowledge and skills they need to avoid drug use,” he added.
The report also reveals that drug trafficking empowers organised crime groups, which are diversifying into other illegal economies, such as wildlife trafficking, financial fraud, and illegal resource extraction.
A comprehensive strategy is needed to address drug use and its consequences. This requires prevention, treatment, and the strengthening of law enforcement to disrupt the criminal networks profiting from these illicit activities, according to UNODC.
“Our efforts must be balanced, uphold rights to health, uphold human rights and help people struggling with addiction,” said Shombi Sharp, UN Resident Coordinator in India.
A silver lining has been the huge decline in global opium production. It fell by 74 per cent in 2023, following a drastic 95 per cent decrease in Afghanistan’s opium production in 2023 and a 36 per cent increase in Myanmar.
Both countries are major centres of the global trade in narcotics.
“To Afghanistan’s south, where Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iran converge, is the so-called Golden Crescent that, along with Southeast Asia’s Golden Triangle, is Asia’s most notorious drug smuggling hub,” notes Shehryar Fazli, a consultant for the Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime, in his 2023 paper The Impact of Afghanistan’s Drug Trade on its Neighbours.
The UNODC report also pointed out the implications of the decline in Afghan opium production. “Long-term implications, including changes in heroin purity and a potential rise in demand for opiate treatment services, may soon be felt in countries affected by Afghan opiates,” it said.
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