{"id":30496,"date":"2026-06-26T13:56:03","date_gmt":"2026-06-26T17:56:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/design-providers.com\/rise\/global-drug-use-reaches-record-high-as-increasingly-potent-synthetic-drugs-spread\/"},"modified":"2026-06-26T13:56:03","modified_gmt":"2026-06-26T17:56:03","slug":"global-drug-use-reaches-record-high-as-increasingly-potent-synthetic-drugs-spread","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/design-providers.com\/rise\/global-drug-use-reaches-record-high-as-increasingly-potent-synthetic-drugs-spread\/","title":{"rendered":"Global drug use reaches record high as increasingly potent synthetic drugs spread"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\u201cWe have seen an unprecedented spike in new types of drugs on the market, and worryingly, some are more potent or dangerous than before,\u201d\u00a0said\u00a0Monica Juma, Executive Director<\/a>\u00a0of\u00a0the\u00a0UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

An estimated 331 million people<\/strong> used drugs in 2024, equivalent to 6.2 per cent of the world\u2019s population aged 15 to 64, up from 5.2 per cent a decade ago<\/strong>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Cannabis\u00a0remained\u00a0the most widely used drug, with 256 million users, followed by opioids (63 million), amphetamines (32 million), cocaine (25 million)\u00a0and ecstasy (21 million).\u00a0<\/p>\n

The report also highlights the rapid evolution of synthetic drugs<\/strong>. In 2024, authorities\u00a0identified\u00a0755 new psychoactive substances, including 118 reported for the first time, while the number of different drugs detected in seizures is now five times higher than before\u00a0the year\u00a02000.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe market is becoming\u00a0very diverse, but also perhaps more dangerous,\u201d\u00a0said Chlo\u00e9 Carpentier, lead researcher for the report, in an interview with\u00a0UN News.<\/em>\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u00a0don’t\u00a0always know what we are taking, and first responders\u00a0don’t\u00a0know what they are responding\u00a0to.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Reshaping the global market<\/strong>\u00a0<\/h2>\n

UNODC<\/a> said\u00a0the global opioid market is reaching a turning point. Following Afghanistan\u2019s 2022 ban on opium cultivation, illicit heroin production has fallen sharply.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Although opium production in Myanmar increased from 420\u00a0tonnes\u00a0in 2021 to more than 1,000\u00a0tonnes\u00a0in 2025, together with production in Laos and Mexico it has not replaced the more than 6,000\u00a0tonnes\u00a0Afghanistan produced in 2022.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Instead, traffickers\u00a0appear to be increasingly\u00a0turning to synthetic opioids such as\u00a0fentanyls,\u00a0nitazenes\u00a0and\u00a0orphines.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

The report warns that a shift away from plant-based\u00a0opiates\u00a0could permanently transform the global opioid market, with potentially greater health risks<\/strong> as some synthetic opioids are even more potent than fentanyl.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe see a lot of\u00a0nitazenes\u00a0now,\u201d\u00a0Ms. Carpentier said.\u00a0\u201cThe worry is really that synthetic opioids might replace heroin and lead to much more harm<\/strong>.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Changing trafficking patterns<\/strong>\u00a0<\/h2>\n

Methamphetamine has become a truly global market, with new trafficking routes expanding across the Near and Middle East,\u00a0Africa\u00a0and parts of Europe.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Seizures have grown by an average of 13 per cent each year, while suppliers have expanded beyond Myanmar to include North America, West and Southern Africa, and Southwest Asia.\u00a0<\/p>\n

At the same time, cannabis trafficking has become increasingly international, with 57 countries and territories outside North America\u00a0identifying\u00a0the region as a source of seized cannabis between 2015 and 2024, compared with just 11 during the\u00a0previous\u00a0decade.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Effects of inequality<\/strong>\u00a0<\/h2>\n

The report stressed\u00a0that the harms associated with drug use are shaped not only by the substances themselves but also by poverty, homelessness, poor mental\u00a0health\u00a0and unequal access to healthcare<\/strong>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Women\u00a0remain\u00a0significantly less likely than men to receive treatment despite progressing more rapidly to drug dependence.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Globally, only one in 23 women with drug use disorders receives\u00a0treatment, compared with one in nine men. Women who inject drugs are also 20 per cent more likely to be living with HIV than men.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Young people\u00a0remain\u00a0another major concern.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cAdolescence is really a critical period when the brain is still developing,\u201d\u00a0Ms. Carpentier said.\u00a0\u201cDrug use during adolescence will have long-lasting effects on cognition and\u00a0behaviour.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Conflict compounds the crisis<\/strong>\u00a0<\/h2>\n

People displaced by conflict and humanitarian emergencies face heightened risks.\u00a0<\/p>\n

According to the report, refugees and internally displaced people are more vulnerable to drug use disorders while often struggling to access treatment, as humanitarian responses understandably prioritize food,\u00a0shelter\u00a0and other immediate needs.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Conflict and drug trafficking reinforce one another, creating a cycle in which instability fuels illicit markets while trafficking profits help finance further violence.\u00a0<\/p>\n

As drug markets become increasingly complex and interconnected, Ms. Carpentier said international cooperation\u00a0remains\u00a0essential,\u00a0emphasising\u00a0that \u201cwe cannot achieve anything without international cooperation.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cWe have seen an unprecedented spike in new types of drugs on the market, and worryingly, some are more potent or dangerous than before,\u201d\u00a0said\u00a0Monica Juma, Executive Director\u00a0of\u00a0the\u00a0UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).\u00a0 An estimated 331 million people used drugs in 2024, equivalent to 6.2 per cent of the world\u2019s population aged 15 to 64, 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GLOBAL NEWS<\/a>","rttpg_excerpt":"\u201cWe have seen an unprecedented spike in new types of drugs on the market, and worryingly, some are more potent or dangerous than before,\u201d\u00a0said\u00a0Monica Juma, Executive Director\u00a0of\u00a0the\u00a0UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).\u00a0 An estimated 331 million people used drugs in 2024, equivalent to 6.2 per cent of the world\u2019s population aged 15 to 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