The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has raised concerns about the negative effects of global instability on world drug

In a 2025 report released, the international organisation said a new era of global instability has intensified challenges in addressing the world drug problem, empowering organized crime groups and pushing drug use to historically high levels.

Speaking at the launch of the report, Executive Director of UNODC, Ghada Waly, said the 2025 edition of the World Drug Report shows that organized 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 organisations, bolster global security, and protect our communities,” Waly said.

The UNODC’s report revealed that 316 million people used a drug (excluding alcohol and tobacco) in 2023, or six per cent of the population aged between 15 and 64, compared to 5.2 per cent of the population in 2013. With 244 million users, cannabis remains the most widely used drug, followed by opioids (61 million), amphetamines (30.7 million), cocaine (25 million) and “ecstasy” (21 million).

 Meanwhile, within Nigeria, cannabis remains the most widely used illicit substance, and worryingly, one in three users report needing treatment or counselling—underscoring a significant gap in health services and support.

The report warned that the new groups of vulnerable people fleeing hardship, instability and conflict could cause these numbers to increase further.

“Globally, as indicated by limited sex-disaggregated data, 5.5 per cent of women with drug use disorders were in treatment in 2023, as compared with 13.6 per cent of men with such disorders,” it explained.

Giving a breakdown of the cocaine market, the report said production, seizures, and use of cocaine all hit new highs in 2023, making cocaine the world’s fastest-growing illicit drug market.

It also revealed that Illegal production of cocaine skyrocketed to 3,708 tons, nearly 34 per cent more than in 2022.

“Global cocaine seizures reached a record high at 2,275– a 68 per cent rise over 2019-2023. Use of cocaine, meanwhile, has grown from 17 million users in 2013 to 25 million users in 2023.

“Cocaine traffickers are breaking into new markets across Asia and Africa, the report notes. The abuse of pharmaceutical opioids, especially tramadol, has also reached alarming levels, with the majority of global tramadol seizures taking place in Africa,” it stated.

While disclosing that synthetic drug market continues to expand, UNODC said due to factors like low operational costs and reduced risks of detection, the synthetic drug market continues to expand globally, dominated by Amphetamine-type stimulants (ATS) like methamphetamine and amphetamine (including captagon).

It reported that seizures of ATS reached a record high in 2023 and accounted for almost half of all global seizures of synthetic drugs, followed by synthetic opioids, including fentanyl.

The international organisation, however, confirmed that the illicit drug trade generates hundreds of billions of dollars per year, adding that criminal groups innovate constantly, through boosting production, finding new ways to chemically conceal their drugs, and using technology to conceal communications and increase distribution.

“Though resilient, organized criminal networks can be disrupted, but a deeper understanding of the aims and structures of drug trafficking groups is required.

“Mapping criminal groups can highlight their vulnerabilities, key actors, enablers, and pinpoint possible areas for intervention. Law enforcement agencies could also consider investing in technology and skills training that matches the sophistication of tools used in the drug supply chain,” the report stated.