Opioid use, drug-related disorders on the rise: UN report
Al JazeeraThe United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime says 30 percent more people used drugs in 2017 than in 2009. Synthetic opioid use is booming, the United Nations said on Wednesday, in a worldwide drug report that shows rising deaths in the United States from overdoses and a “crisis” of tramadol use emerging in parts of Africa. Increased drug use has had health effects, the report said, with 35 million people in 2017 suffering from drug-related disorders requiring treatment, up from an earlier estimate of 30.5 million. “The findings of this year’s World Drug Report fill in and further complicate the global picture of drug challenges, underscoring the need for broader international cooperation to advance balanced and integrated health and criminal justice responses to supply and demand,” said Yury Fedotov, UNODC Executive Director. The report included in-depth analysis of drug use and its adverse health consequences in prison settings, where those jailed were “especially vulnerable to drug use and face higher risks of HIV and hepatitis C transmission”.