Due to the expansion of synthetic drugs, the UN
UN warns of consumer and environmental catastrophes caused by synthetic drugs around the world
Globally, “more than 296 million people used drugs in 2021, an increase of 23% in 10 years,” the UN said.
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The “cheap, fast and easy production” of synthetic drugs has profoundly changed many markets around the world, the UN warned on Sunday, pointing to “disastrous consequences”.
The synthetic opiate fentanyl, which is 50 times more potent than heroin, “has radically changed opioid use in North America,” the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) says in its annual report. In 2021, overdose deaths in the region are attributed to him. And the production of such products is likely to increase further.
“Intensify the Struggle”
The Vienna, Austria-based organization warns of the impact of the war in Ukraine, saying, “There are some indications that it could trigger an expansion of synthetic drug trafficking, with existing knowledge and important markets developing in the region.
UNODC also notes the situation in Afghanistan, where an expected decline in opium poppy cultivation, banned by the Taliban government, could lead to a shift towards methamphetamine production. The country is already one of the main producers of the drug, “the world’s main illicit synthetic drug”.
“We must intensify the fight against traffickers who take advantage of conflicts and global crises to expand drug production,” UNODC Executive Director Kada Wali was quoted as saying in the press release.
300 million consumers
The report also warns of the environmental consequences of the drug economy. In the Amazon basin, cocoa cultivation, an “always unregistered supply” and “increasingly active networks”, “exacerbate criminal activities” such as illegal deforestation and wildlife trafficking.
Globally, “more than 296 million people used the drug in 2021, an increase of 23% in 10 years”, according to the UN, making cannabis the most widely used drug. Even more alarmingly, the number of people with substance use disorders increased by 45% during the same period. However, only one in five is observed.
AFP
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