In June 2019, the UN and the European Union published “drug reports”. They describe consumption by country and type of substance, drug policies of different countries, health problems in 2017-2018. The world report was prepared by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime based on data received from 108 countries in Europe, Asia, Africa, North and South America and Oceania. The European report was prepared by the EU Drugs Agency - it includes 28 EU member states, as well as Norway and Turkey. The columnist for theBabel, Sergei Pivovarov, carefully read both reports. Marijuana remains the most widespread drug in the world, in the USA and Africa there is a crisis of synthetic opioids, in Europe the consumption of cocaine and the production of synthetic "designer" drugs are growing. Ukraine is not mentioned in these documents.
Marijuana
Cannabis is still the most widely used drug in the world, with about 188 million people using it at least once. This is primarily due to the fact that more and more countries fully or partially legalize marijuana.
Cannabis is being grown outdoors on a much larger scale than indoors. Advances in cultivation and breeding technology over the past ten years have resulted in higher yields. In addition, the percentage of the main psychoactive substance, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), has doubled.
As legal markets for cannabis are created, a wide range of cannabis products have emerged. These are concentrates high in THC, foods and liquids with added cannabis; synthetic cannabinoids - today there are more than 180 types; cannabis medicines and other products.
The number of marijuana users has grown particularly in North America, where markets for cannabis for medical or personal use have become legal in Canada and in over 30 US states. Cannabis also remains the most widely used drug in Europe. According to the EU Narcotics Agency, about 17.5 million people between the ages of 15 and 34 in the EU member states used cannabis last year.
And the amount of cannabis seized is already declining markedly - especially in North America, although it is still more than any other drug.
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Cocaine
According to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, in 2017 the cultivation of coca and the production of cocaine reached a record level of about 1.9 thousand tons (this is 25 percent more than in 2016). The amount of cocaine confiscated is also growing: in 2017, law enforcement officers from around the world seized a record 1.2 thousand tons.
Cocaine use is gradually increasing in North America, Oceania and parts of South America, and could potentially increase in parts of Asia and West Africa.
In Western and Central Europe, cocaine has become the second most common drug after cannabis. In 2017, it was used by about 2.6 million people aged 15 to 34. Bristol, Barcelona, Amsterdam, Antwerp, Lisbon, Paris, Milan, Copenhagen and Berlin are the leaders in terms of prevalence among European cities.
The EU Narcotics Agency claims to "uberize" the cocaine trade - it is sold through applications for mobile phones, on social networks, on the darknet marketplaces.
Opioids
A UN report describes the synthetic opioid epidemic in North America and Africa. In America, fentanyl and its derivatives are the key problem. In 2017, more than 47 thousand deaths due to fentanyl overdose were registered in the United States, and four thousand deaths in Canada.
West, Central and North Africa are in crisis for another synthetic opioid pain reliever, tramadol. According to the UN, it is illegally manufactured in South Asia, from where it enters Africa and the countries of the Near and Middle East. The report states that "tramadol is used for its sedative and pain-relieving effects to improve mental, physical and performance, as well as reduce the need for sleep and reduce appetite." The volume of tramadol seized worldwide increased from less than 10 kilograms in 2010 to 125 tons in 2017.
In Europe, opioids have a relatively small share of the drug market. The most common of these is the potent semi-synthetic opioid heroin.
Synthetic drugs
UN data show that the use of synthetic stimulants such as amphetamine, methamphetamine and ecstasy is common in North America, East and Southeast Asia.
A report from the EU Narcotics Agency refers to the growing role of Europe in the production of synthetic drugs. In 2017, the Netherlands alone liquidated 21 MDMA laboratories, up from 11 in 2016. And the number of MDMA pills seized reached a record 6.6 million. The production of methamphetamine is concentrated in the Czech Republic and the border regions of neighboring countries. And its consumption increased in Cyprus, East Germany, Spain, Finland and Norway. From the report, it follows that Turkey has become one of the main transit points for the distribution of synthetic drugs. 8.6 million MDMA pills, 6.6 tons of amphetamine, 658 kilograms of methamphetamine were seized here - more than in the entire European Union.
The situation is similar with new psychoactive substances - "designer drugs". If the global trend shows a decrease in the number of new substances discovered for the first time, then in Europe the opposite is true. In 2018 alone, 55 new psychoactive substances were discovered for the first time in the European Union, bringing their total to 730.
Author: Sergey Pivovarov