NEWS – World Drug Report 2024 Released annually by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE REPORT:

• Increase in Drug Use: 292 million people used drugs in 2022, marking a 20% rise over the past decade.
• Most Widely Used Drugs:
  • Cannabis: 228 million users
  • Opioids: 60 million users
  • Amphetamines: 30 million users
  • Cocaine: 23 million users
  • Ecstasy: 20 million users
• Emergence of Nitazenes: Highly potent synthetic opioids causing increased overdose deaths in several high-income countries.
• Drug Use Disorders:
  • 64 million people suffer globally
  • Only 1 in 11 receive treatment
  • Gender Disparity in Treatment: 1 in 18 women vs. 1 in 7 men
• Law Enforcement and Legal Actions (2022):
  • 7 million people in contact with police for drug offences
  • 7 million prosecuted
  • Over 1.6 million convicted

Key Facts about UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC):

• Role: Global leader in fighting illicit drugs and international crime, implementing the UN’s lead program on terrorism.
• Establishment: Formed in 1997 by merging the United Nations Drug Control Programme and the Centre for International Crime Prevention.
• Headquarters: Vienna, Austria.
• In 2002, the UN General Assembly expanded UNODC’s activities for terrorism prevention
• Funding: Mainly relies on voluntary contributions from governments.