The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has raised concerns over the harmful effects of drugs on the environment.
In its 2025 report, the international organisation stated that drug cultivation and production can lead to deforestation, land-use changes, and air, land, and water pollution—often significant at the local level.
The report notes that environmental harm is often not considered when designing and implementing drug policy responses, with much of the resulting waste and pollution going unaccounted for.
Speaking at the launch of the report, the Executive Director of UNODC, Ghada Waly, said the 2025 edition of the World Drug Report shows that organised drug trafficking groups continue to adapt, exploit global crises, and target vulnerable populations.
“We must invest in prevention and address the root causes of the drug trade at every point of the illicit supply chain.
And we must strengthen responses by leveraging technology, strengthening cross-border cooperation, providing alternative livelihoods, and taking judicial action that targets key actors driving these networks.
Through a comprehensive, coordinated approach, we can dismantle criminal organizations, bolster global security, and protect our communities.”
The report revealed that 316 million people used drugs (excluding alcohol and tobacco) in 2023—six percent of the global population aged 15–64, compared to 5.2 percent in 2013. Cannabis remains the most widely used drug (244 million users), followed by opioids (61 million), amphetamines (30.7 million), cocaine (25 million), and ecstasy (21 million).
In Nigeria, cannabis remains the most commonly used illicit substance, and worryingly, one in three users reportedly needs treatment or counselling—underscoring a significant gap in health services and support.
The report warned that new groups of vulnerable people fleeing hardship, instability, and conflict could further increase these numbers.
“Globally, as indicated by limited sex-disaggregated data, 5.5 percent of women with drug use disorders were in treatment in 2023, compared with 13.6 percent of men with such disorders,” the report added.
Giving a breakdown of the cocaine market, the report said production, seizures, and use all hit new highs in 2023, making cocaine the world’s fastest-growing illicit drug market.
It revealed that illegal production of cocaine skyrocketed to 3,708 tons, a nearly 34 percent increase over 2022.
“Global cocaine seizures reached a record high at 2,275 tons—a 68 percent rise between 2019 and 2023.
Cocaine use has grown from 17 million users in 2013 to 25 million in 2023.
Cocaine traffickers are breaking into new markets across Asia and Africa.”
The abuse of pharmaceutical opioids—especially tramadol—has also reached alarming levels, with the majority of global tramadol seizures occurring in Africa.
The UNODC added that the synthetic drug market continues to expand globally due to factors like low operational costs and reduced risks of detection. It is currently dominated by amphetamine-type stimulants (ATS) such as methamphetamine, amphetamine, and “captagon.”
Seizures of ATS reached a record high in 2023, accounting for almost half of all global seizures of synthetic drugs, followed by synthetic opioids, including fentanyl.