New UNODC Drug Report Paints Grim Picture of Drug Deaths
Global drug use has reached a new high of 316 million people in 2023, according to the World Drug Report 2025 published by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). The 28 percent increase within a decade shows that consumption is growing faster than the world's population, further exacerbating the global challenges in the fight against the drug problem.
Ghada Waly, Executive Director of UNODC, urges investment in prevention, addressing root causes of the drug trade, and strengthening responses through technology, cross-border cooperation, alternative livelihoods, and judicial action. / Picture: © UNODC/Max Brucker / Flickr Attribution (CC BY 2.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/)
Ghada Waly, Executive Director of UNODC, emphasized that organized drug trafficking groups are constantly adapting, exploiting global crises, and targeting particularly vulnerable populations. “We must invest in prevention and combat the root causes of drug trafficking at every point in the illegal supply chain,” Waly said. She also called for measures to be strengthened through the use of technology, improved cross-border cooperation, the creation of alternative livelihoods, and targeted legal action against the main players in the networks.
Cocaine market experiences an unprecedented boom
The cocaine market, which has become the fastest-growing illegal drug market, is a particular cause for concern. Illegal production rose by almost 34 percent in 2023 to a record 3,708 tons. Global cocaine seizures also reached a peak of 2,275 tons, an increase of 68 percent over the 2019-2023 period. The number of cocaine users rose from 17 million in 2013 to 25 million in 2023.
The cocaine boom is not only leading to more drug-related deaths but also to an increase in violence between rival criminal organizations. This development, which was once mainly limited to Latin America, is now spreading to Western Europe. Criminal groups from the Western Balkans are gaining increasing influence on the European cocaine market, where more cocaine has been seized than in North America for several years now.
Synthetic drugs and environmental consequences
The market for synthetic drugs also continues to grow. Amphetamine-type stimulants (ATS) such as methamphetamine and amphetamine (including “Captagon”) dominate this sector. Seizures of ATS reached a record high in 2023, accounting for almost half of all global seizures of synthetic drugs. Although the fall of the Assad regime in Syria has created uncertainty about the future of the Captagon trade, current data suggest continued availability, possibly through the release of old stocks or continued production.
The report also highlights the significant environmental impacts of drug cultivation, production, and trafficking, particularly in Europe. These include deforestation, land use changes, and air, soil, and water pollution. The increase in drug laboratories shut down in Europe between 2013 and 2023 is leading to significant amounts of waste and high costs for remediation and ecosystem restoration. Critics argue that environmental damage is often not sufficiently taken into account in the development and implementation of drug laws.
Enormous profits and social costs
Illegal drug trafficking generates hundreds of billions of dollars annually, enabling criminal groups to constantly improve their methods – from increasing production and chemically disguising drugs to using technology for communication and distribution. The costs of drug use to individuals, communities, and health systems are immense. In 2021, nearly half a million deaths and 28 million healthy years of life lost were attributable to drug use disorders. Alarmingly, in 2023, only an estimated one in twelve people with drug use disorders received some form of drug treatment.
To address these complex challenges, the UNODC calls for a comprehensive and coordinated approach by international diplomacy and the community. A deeper understanding of the goals and structures of drug trafficking groups is necessary to identify their vulnerabilities and enable targeted interventions. In addition, law enforcement agencies should invest in technology and training to keep pace with the sophistication of criminal networks.