Despite intensive actions through technological efforts by different countries and international anti drug trafficking agencies, there are indications that the use of hard drugs and seizure are still on the increase.
According to the latest reports from the United Nations Office on drugs and Crime, (UNODC), released this Thursday, (26/6/25), Cocaine production, seizures, and use all hit record highs in 2023 Thursday, with the illicit drug market the world’s fastest-growing.
The worrisome reports say Illegal production jumped to 3,708 tons, nearly 34 per cent more than in 2022, and more than four times higher than 10 years earlier, when it was at a low.
The Vienna-based UN Agency blamed the current surge to an increase in the size of the area under illicit coca bush cultivation in Colombia
UNODC revealed that Global cocaine seizures recorded a high of 2,275 tons, marking a 68 per cent rise in the four years to 2023.
It further noted with concern that the number of cocaine users also grew to 25 million in 2023, against 17 million recorded ten years earlier.
UNODC chief researcher Angela Me who observed a “vicious cycle” of increased use and production declared, “Cocaine has become fashionable for the more affluent society.”
The statement pointed out that while Colombia remains the key producer, cocaine traffickers are breaking into new markets across Asia and Africa, with organised crime groups from the Western Balkans increasing their influence.
Speaking on other areas influencing the ugly development, the Agent noted that , “A new era of global instability has intensified challenges in addressing the world’s drug problem, empowering organised crime groups and pushing drug use to historically high levels.
UNODC however revealed that Cannabis remains the most widely used drug, adding that seizures of amphetamine-type stimulants also reached a record high in 2023, making up almost half of all global seizures of synthetic drugs, followed by synthetic opioids, including fentanyl.
