UN warns synthetic drugs are spreading as cocaine and meth output rises
UNODC says new psychoactive substances, cocaine and methamphetamine are expanding as traffickers exploit instability and Afghan heroin supplies fall.
By James Whitfield · Staff Writer
3 min read
The global drug trade is expanding into synthetic substances, cocaine and methamphetamine, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime said in its latest World Drug Report. The agency said traffickers are using instability and shifts in supply to reach new buyers, while the Taliban’s restrictions on Afghan opium have left room for other drugs to grow.
The UNODC released the report on Friday and said both established narcotics and newer drugs are rising at the same time. It said the change follows Afghanistan’s 2022 ban on opium cultivation, which has continued to affect heroin production and use.
Monica Juma, the UNODC executive director, said in a statement that the market has seen an “unprecedented spike” in new drug types, with some posing greater risks because of their potency or danger.
Synthetic drugs expand
The UNODC said authorities found five times as many drug types in 2024 as they had four years earlier. The agency linked the increase to suppliers creating new synthetic substances in an effort to avoid detection.
According to the report, 755 new psychoactive substances were circulating in 2024. Of those, 118 had been reported for the first time, the UNODC said.
The agency said synthetic opioids including fentanyl, nitazenes and orphines have become more available as heroin supply remains disrupted. The UNODC said those substances can be stronger than heroin and easier to make, raising the risk that the shift in the drug market could become lasting and more harmful for users.
Meth routes spread
The UNODC said methamphetamine trafficking appears to be increasing by 13 percent a year, based on seizure data. The agency said production has spread and trafficking routes have changed, helping create new consumer markets.
The report identified Africa, the Near and Middle East, and parts of Europe as areas where methamphetamine markets are growing. The UNODC said those changes reflect both expanded production and the use of new routes by traffickers.
The agency also pointed to Syria, where it said the fall of the Assad regime in 2024 disrupted the Captagon trade and pushed prices higher. The UNODC said that could lead some users of the amphetamine-like drug to move to methamphetamine.
Cocaine reaches record output
The UNODC said cocaine production has reached its highest recorded level. The report put 2024 output at more than 4,000 tonnes of pure cocaine, a fourfold increase over 10 years.
Organised crime groups are expanding sales in established and newer destination markets, according to the UNODC. The agency said cocaine quality has improved while prices have fallen, making it easier for traffickers to broaden their customer base.
The report presents a drug market changing on several fronts at once: Afghan heroin supplies under pressure, synthetic opioids becoming more available, methamphetamine trafficking spreading, and cocaine production setting new records.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.