Cannabis, ATS and opioids account for the highest numbers of people in drug-related treatment globally, with variation between regions and countries.

• In most reporting countries, cannabis or opioids are the most common primary drug among those in treatment. However, in the Caribbean, South America and Central America, most people are in treatment for cocaine use disorders while, in large parts of South-East Asia and the Near and Middle East, ATS is the leading drug class.
• Nevertheless, on the basis of patient-level data from 140 countries covering over 70 per cent of the global population, opioids remain the class of drugs accountable for the greatest number of people in treatment about whom detailed data are available on the global level, followed by ATS and cannabis.
• There are differences between men and women in the most common primary drug: men are more commonly treated for cannabis use then women, while women are more often treated for the non-medical use of pharmaceutical sedatives and tranquilizers than men.