UN Report Says Technology and Novel Synthetics Are Reshaping Global Drug Markets

Overview

• The UN Office on Drugs and Crime released the World Drug Report 2026 showing traffickers use online platforms, cyber tools and new manufacturing methods to create and move novel drugs into new regions.
• The report estimates 331 million people used drugs in 2024 and notes cannabis remained the most used substance while overall prevalence rose over the past decade.
• Authorities recorded a sharp rise in new psychoactive substances with 755 NPS identified in 2024 and growing availability of synthetic opioids such as fentanyls, nitazenes and orphines.
• Methamphetamine production and seizures have spread beyond traditional areas into the Near and Middle East, Africa and parts of Europe while cocaine production grew to an estimated more than 4,000 tonnes in 2024.
• UN leaders urged stepped-up tech‑enabled detection, international intelligence‑sharing, coordinated operations and bigger investments in prevention, harm reduction and treatment to reduce deaths and ease pressure on fragile health systems.