The world drug production hit a record high in 2017 with traffickers increasingly using the dark net, the secretive underbelly of the internet, a UN report launched this week says.
Speaking at the UN headquarters in New York, the head of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Yury Fedotov said Tuesday that global drug markets are "expanding" as cocaine and opium productions worldwide have hit "absolute record highs."
"Drug trafficking online using the dark net is growing rapidly. At the same time, the sheer range of drugs and combinations available is unprecedented. New psychoactive substances continue to proliferate, and methamphetamines are spreading outside their usual markets," Fedotov said.
The study found that opioid overdoses caused some 76 percent of drug-related deaths, and global opium production jumped by 65 percent to 10,500 tons from 2016 to 2017, the highest estimate recorded by UNODC since it started monitoring global opium production.
Some 9,000 tons of this was produced in Afghanistan, mostly in Taliban-controlled areas. Cocaine manufacture also reached a record high with an estimated 1,410 tons produced, the majority of it in Colombia.
The report also said cannabis was the most widely consumed drug in 2016, with 192 million people using it at least once. It was also a drug of choice for young people.
Fedotov estimated that 13.8 million people aged 15 to 16 years have used cannabis. He said early initiation to any drugs may peak among young people aged 18 to 25 years. The recreational use of drugs can affect cerebral functions and act as a gateway to heavier drugs, he warned.
The UN released the report on the occasion of the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking.
