Drug use patterns vary significantly by age, with adolescents showing use levels comparable to or higher than the general population, for most substances.Globally, the use of amphetamines, cocaine and "ecstasy" is similar or higher among adolescents aged 15-16 than among the general population aged…
Men continue to make up the majority of people who use drugs, but gender differences vary by drug and region.In 2024, about three quarters of people who used drugs in the past year were men, though the share of women varies substantially by region and drug type. For example, only 8 per cent of…
Data show a growing importance of 3,4-MDP-2-P methyl glycidic acid related substances among “ecstasy” precursors and an ongoing concentration of “ecstasy” precursor seizures in Europe.Historically, 3,4-MDP-2-P, also known as piperonyl methyl ketone (PMK), has been the primary precursor chemical…
“Ecstasy” seizures reached record levels in 2024, surpassing pre-COVID-19 pandemic highs.The quantity of “ecstasy” (MDMA) seized worldwide increased by 13 percent from 2023 to 2024, more than doubling compared with 2021 levels following a pandemic-related decline.Increases were widespread in 2024…
Most “ecstasy” found in the global market continues to be produced in Western and Central Europe.Data suggest that the bulk of the "ecstasy" is still being produced in Europe, with 82 per cent of reported countries of transit or departure of seized shipments around the world being from the region.…
“Ecstasy” use remains highest in high income countries and parts of Asia.Past-year use of "ecstasy" globally is estimated at 0.4 per cent among those aged 15-64. Use is higher among men (0.54 per cent) than women (0.26 per cent), but the difference is not as pronounced as for other drugs (for…
Africa has increasingly become a transit and destination region for cocaine trafficking and use.Cocaine seizures in Africa have increased over 20-fold between 2015 and 2024 and an increasing number of seizures implicate African countries as transit or destination. In 2023, seizures en route to…
Seizures of key pharmaceutical opioids show distinct regional patterns by substance.While fentanyl seizures remain overwhelmingly concentrated in North America (> 99 per cent), other pharmaceutical opioids dominate seizures in different regions: codeine in West and Central Africa and South Asia…
The global cocaine market continues to experience strong growth in supply and demand, and organized crime groups continue to funnel continue to funnel increasingly large quantities of cocaine towards established and emerging destination markets.Taking potential cocaine manufacture and seizures into…
Cannabis dominates the global number of seizure cases, followed by ATS (notably methamphetamine) and cocaine while cannabis and cocaine dominate seizures in terms of total weight.
Drug-related deaths continue to rise globally, with indirect causes accounting for most harm.The total global number of deaths directly or indirectly attributable to drugs continued to increase in 2023, although population-adjusted rates have grown more slowly, suggesting that the growth was in…
Global drug use continues to increase, driven by rising prevalence of use and population growth.An estimated 331 million people used a drug in the past 12 months in 2024, a 34 per cent increase since 2014 (with prevalence of use increasing by 20 per cent).Men account for the majority of users (249…
