UNODC warns of global drug market expansion driven by technology and new synthetic substances

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) released a 2024 world drug report warning that illicit drug trafficking is expanding rapidly due to technology, new psycho‑active substances and global instability. The report estimates that 331 million people aged 15‑64 used a drug in 2024 – 6.2 % of the world population in that age group – up from 5.2 % in 2014. Cannabis remains the most widely used drug (256 million users), followed by opioids (63 million), amphetamines (32 million), cocaine (25 million) and ecstasy (21 million).

UNODC Executive Director Monica Juma said the market has seen “an unprecedented increase of new types of drugs, some more potent or dangerous than before,” causing “millions of premature deaths, collapsing economies, rising violence and insecurity.” The report documents a surge in new psycho‑active substances, with 755 identified in 2024, 118 of them reported for the first time, and a five‑fold rise in the variety of substances seized compared with pre‑2000 levels.

Synthetic drug production is expanding, notably methamphetamines and novel opioids such as fentanyl analogues, nitazenes and orfinoids. Production in Myanmar rose sharply, while Afghanistan’s opiate output fell after a 2022 ban. The United Nations notes that Mexico has become a strategic node for the manufacture and trafficking of methamphetamines and other synthetics, linking the drug market to the country’s high homicide and criminal violence rates. UNODC urges intensified intelligence sharing, joint operations, increased prevention and treatment, and a shift away from solely repressive responses.