The sixty-third session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs opened today in Vienna with calls for practical measures to intensify efforts to tackle the global drug problem.
The World Drug Report 2024, released Wednesday by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, estimates that the number of drug users will rise to 292 million by 2022, representing a 20 per cent increase over 10 years. The report highlights that the emergence of new synthetic opioids and record supply and demand for other drugs have exacerbated the impact of the world drug problem, leading to an increase in drug abuse and environmental harm.
Statistics show that cannabis remains the most widely used drug in the world (228 million users), followed by opioids (60 million users), amphetamines (30 million users), cocaine (23 million users) and ecstasy (20 million users).
In addition, nitazines – a class of synthetic opioids that are more potent than fentanyl – have recently emerged in some high-income countries, leading to an increase in overdose deaths.
There are differences in access to treatment between men and women
It is estimated that 64 million people worldwide suffer from a substance use disorder, but only 1 in 11 people receive treatment. Women are less likely to receive treatment than men, with only one in 18 women receiving treatment for drug use disorders and one in seven men receiving treatment.
In 2022, an estimated 7 million people had formal contact with the police (arrests, warnings) for drug offences, about two-thirds of whom were for drug use or possession for use, the report states. In addition, 2.7 million people were prosecuted and more than 1.6 million convicted for drug-related offences globally in 2022, but there are significant regional differences in criminal justice responses to drug-related offences.
Organized criminal groups
The report notes that drug traffickers in the Golden Triangle are moving into other areas of the illicit economy, particularly wildlife trafficking, financial fraud and illegal resource extraction. Displaced persons, poor people and migrant communities are suffering the consequences of this instability, sometimes resorting to opium cultivation or illicit resource extraction in order to survive, falling into debt traps of criminal groups or taking drugs themselves.
These illegal activities also exacerbate environmental degradation through deforestation, dumping of toxic waste and chemical pollution, the report argues.
Photo by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime
Consequences of the cocaine surge
According to the report, in 2022, cocaine production reached a new high of 2,757 tons, a 20% increase from 2021. At the same time, the global area under coca bush cultivation increased by 12% between 2021 and 2022 to 355,000 hectares. The long-term surge in cocaine supply and demand has been accompanied by an increase in violence in countries along the supply chain, particularly in Ecuador and the Caribbean, and an increase in health hazards in destination countries, including Western and Central Europe.
The impact of marijuana legalization
As of January 2024, 27 jurisdictions in Canada, Uruguay, and the United States have legalized the production and sale of cannabis for non-medical use, while various legislative approaches have been adopted in other parts of the world, the report said.
In these jurisdictions in the Americas, this process appears to have accelerated the harmful use of cannabis and led to the diversification of cannabis products, many of which are high in THC. In Canada and the United States, there has been an increase in the number of hospitalizations related to cannabis use disorder, as well as the proportion of psychopaths and suicide attempts associated with regular cannabis use, especially among young adults.
Widespread use of psychedelics
Despite the continued growth of interest in the use of psychedelics to treat certain psychiatric disorders, clinical research has yet to result in any scientific standard guidelines for medical use, the report said.
However, within the broader "psychedelic revival", popular movements are promoting a flourishing of commercial interests and creating a conducive environment that encourages the widespread use of unsupervised, "quasi-treated" and non-medical use of psychedelics. These campaigns have the potential to outpace the development of scientific therapeutic evidence and guidelines for the medical use of psychedelics, potentially undermining public health goals and increasing the use of psychedelics.
The impact of the opium ban in Afghanistan
The report notes that global opium production fell by 74% in 2023 with a significant decrease in opium production in Afghanistan (95% less than in 2022) and an increase in opium production in Myanmar (36% more). The sharp contraction of the Afghan opium market has made Afghan farmers poorer and a few drug traffickers richer. Transit and destination countries of opiates in Afghanistan may soon feel the long-term effects, including effects on heroin purity, the shift of heroin users to other opioids, or an increase in demand for opiate treatment services.
The right to health of drug abusers
The report stresses that the right to health is an internationally recognized human right that belongs to all people, regardless of their drug use status and whether they are imprisoned, detained or imprisoned. The right to health applies equally to drug users, their children and families, and others in the community.