World Drug Report 2024

On the 26th, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) released the World Drug Report 2024, which gives a global overview of drug markets, trends and political developments.

The document is usually released on the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, proclaimed by Resolution 42/112 adopted by the UN General Assembly on 7 December 1987, in order to give expression to the goal of an international society free of drug use. This year's theme was "The evidence is clear: invest in prevention".

Reporting on the growing damage caused by drug problems due to the expansion of consumption and the respective markets, it refers to the increased capacity of organised crime groups to act as a result of drug trafficking; the consequences of the cocaine boom; the impact of the legalisation of cannabis; the widespread encouragement of access to psychedelics caused by the psychedelic "renaissance" and the implications of the opium ban in Afghanistan.

The data released in this report shows that the number of people using drugs has risen to 292 million by 2022, a 20 per cent increase in 10 years, and that cannabis is still the most widely used drug in the world, followed by opiates, amphetamines, cocaine and ecstasy. Although around 64 million people worldwide suffer from drug use disorders, only one in 11 receives treatment, and access to treatment is lower for women compared to men.

The report underlines the right to health as an internationally recognised human right for all people, including those who use drugs, their sons and daughters, their families and others in their communities.

Available HERE.