Global availability, coverage and accessibility of drug-related treatment varies across intervention types.Not all types of pharmacological treatment, psychosocial interventions and rehabilitation and aftercare are available in all countries. Opioid agonist maintenance therapy and opioid antagonist…
Data on specific population groups remain limited.The available information suggests higher levels of drug use, drug use disorders and injecting drug use among sex workers, people experiencing homelessness and those with severe mental illness compared with the general population, while these tend…
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 persistent reliance on the 3,4-MDP-2-P chemical pathway, an increased importance of pre-precursors related to 3,4-MDP-2-P methyl glycidic acid among “ecstasy” precursors, and an ongoing concentration of “ecstasy” precursor seizures in Europe.Historically, 3,4-MDP-2-P, also known as…
“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 the subregion of 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…
“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…
Australia and New Zealand have the highest global annual prevalence of use of "ecstasy", where it is mostly used in capsule and crystal form.In Australia, the use and availability of "ecstasy" declined during the COVID-19 pandemic but have started to increase again in 2023 (while not yet reaching…
“Ecstasy” use remains concentrated in Europe (mainly Western and Central Europe)Use is significantly higher in Western and Central Europe than in Eastern and South-Eastern Europe, both in terms of prevalence (1.2 per cent vs. 0.4 per cent) and number of users (nearly 4 million versus less than 800,…
Non-traditional cocaine markets in Africa, Asia and some subregions of Europe are rapidly expanding as shown by supply and demand indicators.Given the substantial population of these regions, even a small increase in the prevalence of use could translate to a large increase in the number of people…
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…
