‘Technology fuels drug abuse globally’

Source: ‘Technology fuels drug abuse globally’ – herald

Ms Monica Juma

Ivan Zhakata

Herald Correspondent

GLOBAL drug traffickers are increasingly exploiting technology, geopolitical instability and emerging synthetic drugs to expand their operations, as the number of people using illicit substances worldwide continues to rise, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has said.

In its World Drug Report 2026, UNODC said organised criminal networks were rapidly adapting to changing global conditions by introducing new and more potent drugs, diversifying trafficking routes and targeting emerging markets.

The report estimates that 331 million people aged between 15 and 64 used drugs in 2024, representing 6,2 percent of the global population, up from 5,2 percent in 2014. Cannabis remained the most widely used drug, accounting for 256 million users, followed by opioids, amphetamines, cocaine and ecstasy.

UNODC Executive Director Ms Monica Juma warned that the emergence of increasingly dangerous drugs posed a growing threat to global public health and security.

“We have seen an unprecedented spike in new types of drugs on the market, and worryingly, some are more potent or dangerous than before,” she said.

“And, we are already suffering the impact: millions of premature deaths and healthy years of life needlessly lost; drug trafficking networks that are distorting economies; the destruction of lives, communities and livelihoods; and the compounding of insecurity and violence.”

Ms Juma said governments needed to intensify efforts to dismantle organised crime syndicates.

“The imperative to focus on stopping organised crime groups has never been greater. We must surge deterrence efforts, increase intelligence-sharing and coordinate joint operations, while investing more in prevention and treatment,” she said.

According to the report, illicit drug manufacturers are increasingly producing synthetic substances to evade law enforcement.

It said the number of drug types identified in seizures in 2024 was five times higher than before 2000, while 755 new psychoactive substances were circulating globally, including 118 reported for the first time.

The report also points to a major shift in the global opioid market following Afghanistan’s 2022 ban on opium production, with traffickers increasingly turning to synthetic opioids such as fentanyls, nitazenes and orphines.

UNODC said the transition from plant-based opioids to synthetic alternatives could permanently alter the global opioid market and heighten the risks associated with drug use.

It said methamphetamine had become a global commodity, with new trafficking routes fuelling its spread into Africa, the Near and Middle East and parts of Europe.

Seizures of the drug have been increasing by an average of 12 percent annually, driven largely by East and South-East Asia.

The report further shows that cannabis use has increased by 40 percent over the past decade, while cocaine production has more than quadrupled during the same period to exceed 4 000 tonnes in pure form, with organised crime groups expanding into emerging markets in Africa and Asia.

UNODC said drug use continued to contribute to crime, violence and insecurity, although factors such as poverty, homelessness, poor mental health and inadequate access to treatment and social services also played a significant role and required sustained investment in prevention and rehabilitation programmes.