In Australia, past-year methamphetamine use has declined since 2004, but among people who still used the drug, there are signs of increases in intensive use patterns.A similar trend is observed in New Zealand, where the police characterize the methamphetamine market as saturated. Intensive use of…
Overall, of the four major modes of transport used for drug trafficking – by land, water, air and mail (including courier services) – land or maritime routes (depending on the specific drug) dominate in terms of volume.Around 2024, there appeared to be an increased preference for smaller shipments…
Amphetamine seizures rose strongly until 2020-2021, declined thereafter and showed a modest rebound in 2024.Amphetamine seizures remain concentrated in the Near and Middle East (57 per cent of total seizures between 2020 and 2024) and Europe (26 per cent); in the former subregion much of the drug…
Opioids and cannabis account for the greatest overall harm globally, though the severity of impacts differs.Combined evidence from country rankings of most harmful drugs and global indicators on deaths, drug use disorders and people in drug-related treatment point to opioids and cannabis resulting…
Globally, the majority of people in drug-related treatment continue to be men, although the proportion of women varies by region, subregion and primary drug.Approximately one in five people in drug-related treatment worldwide is a woman.The lowest proportions of women in drug-related treatment are…
Polydrug use is common among people in drug treatment, with patterns varying by region.According to the limited data available on people in drug treatment, between 40 and 50 per cent of persons in drug-related treatment are polydrug users, with lower levels in Asia (22 per cent) and almost no…
Polydrug use poses significant risks and is more common among people with drug use disorders.No consensus definition of polydrug use currently exists but it can be generally understood as taking two or more drugs together or in sequence (intentionally or unintentionally), with both forms increasing…
The limited data available suggest that most overdose deaths involve multiple substances.Toxicological findings from 22 countries show that a median of 67 per cent of overdose deaths involve more than one substance.In 17 countries with available data, opioids and sedatives/tranquilizers are most…
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…
The use of cannabis and stimulant drugs continues to increaseGlobally, the use of cannabis and stimulant drugs such as amphetamines, cocaine and "ecstasy" increased in 2024, while the use of opioids remained largely stable.
Progress on strengthening the prevention and treatment of substance abuse – as formulated in SDG target 3.5 – remains limited.Coverage of treatment interventions for substance use disorders remains low globally, with new estimates for this indicator suggesting that, at the minimum, 8.2 per cent of…
Seizures of amphetamine-type substances (ATS) in Europe are rising, with methamphetamine increasingly overtaking amphetamine.Seizures of ATS have increased strongly in Europe over the last decade, with growth reported for methamphetamine, amphetamine, “ecstasy” and non-specified and other ATS (…
