UN WARNS GLOBAL DRUG USE AT RECORD HIGH AS DEADLY SYNTHETIC DRUGS SPREAD RAPIDLY

By Lilian Chemutai

Global drug use has reached its highest level on record, with a new report from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) warning that the rapid spread of synthetic drugs is creating serious health and security risks worldwide.

According to the World Drug Report 2026, an estimated 331 million people used drugs in 2024, representing 6.2 percent of the global population aged between 15 and 64. This marks a significant increase from 5.2 percent recorded a decade ago.

Cannabis remains the world's most commonly used drug, with 256 million users, followed by opioids, amphetamines, cocaine and ecstasy.

The report warns that synthetic drugs are rapidly reshaping illegal drug markets. In 2024, authorities identified 755 new psychoactive substances, including 118 newly detected drugs reported for the first time. Experts say some of these substances are even more potent and dangerous than fentanyl, significantly increasing the risk of overdose and death.

UNODC Executive Director Monica Juma said the world is witnessing an unprecedented surge in new drugs entering the market.

"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.

Lead researcher Chloe Carpentier said the growing diversity of synthetic drugs is making the situation even more dangerous.

"The market is becoming very diverse, but also perhaps more dangerous. We don't always know what we are taking, and first responders don't know what they are responding to," she said.

The report also notes that traffickers are increasingly shifting to synthetic opioids such as fentanyl, nitazenes and orphines, raising fears that these substances could gradually replace heroin in many markets and worsen the global overdose crisis.

UNODC is urging governments to strengthen international cooperation, expand access to treatment services and invest in prevention programmes to curb the growing threat posed by synthetic drugs.