World Drug Report 2024

About World Drug Report 2024:

• It is an annual report released by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
• Highlights of the Report:
  • The number of people who use drugs has risen to 292 million in 2022, a 20 percent increase over the past ten years.
  • Cannabis remains the most widely used drug worldwide (228 million users), followed by opioids (60 million users), amphetamines (30 million users), cocaine (23 million users), and ecstasy (20 million users).
  • Nitazenes, a group of highly potent synthetic opioids, haverecently emerged in several high-income countries, resulting in an increase in overdose deaths.
  • Though an estimated 64 million people worldwide suffer from drug use disorders, only one in 11 is in treatment.
  • Women receive less access to treatment than men, with only one in 18 women with drug use disorders in treatment versus one in seven men.
  • In 2022, an estimated 7 million people were in formal contact with the police (arrests, cautions, and warnings) for drug offences, with about two-thirds of this total due to drug use or possession for use.
  • In addition, 2.7 million people were prosecuted for drug offences and over 1.6 million were convicted globally in 2022.

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

• It is a global leader in the fight against illicit drugs and international crime, in addition to being responsible for implementing the United Nations lead programme on terrorism.
• It was established in 1997 through a merger between the United Nations Drug Control Programme and the Centre for International Crime Prevention.
• Headquarters: Vienna, Austria
• UNODC works to educate people throughout the world about the dangers of drug abuse and to strengthen international action against illicit drug production and trafficking and drug-related crime. 
• UNODC also works to improve crime prevention and assist with criminal justice reform in order to strengthen the rule of law, promote stable and viable criminal justice systems, and combat the growing threats of transnational organized crime and corruption.
• In 2002, the UN General Assembly approved an expanded programme of activities for the Terrorism Prevention Branch of UNODC.
  • The activities focus on providing assistance to States, on request, in ratifying and implementing the eighteen universal legal instruments against terrorism.

· Funding: It relies on voluntary contributions, mainly from governments, to carry out the majority of our work.

Q1: What are opioids?

Opioids are a class of drugs that derive from, or mimic, natural substances found in the opium poppy plant. Opioids work in the brain to produce a variety of effects, including pain relief. Opioid drugs include prescription pain medicine and illegal drugs. Some people use opioids because of the euphoria (“high”) they can produce. Opioid drugs can cause addiction, also known as opioid use disorder (OUD).

Source: World Drug Day report highlights spike in drug use, increased trafficking