VIENNA: Drug use around the world is rising, including a worrying increase of new potent and dangerous synthetic drugs, a UN watchdog warned on Friday.
An estimated 331 million people used a drug in 2024, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime(UNODC) said in its 2026 World Drug Report.
This is 6.2 percent of the global population aged 15-64, an increase from 5.2 percent in 2014.
Cannabis remained the most popular drug globally in 2024, followed by opioids, amphetamines, cocaine and ecstasy, the UNODC said.
But novel synthetic opioids such as fentanyls, nitazenes and orphines, sought as a heroin substitute, have become increasingly available.
