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‘ Cheap and easy ’ synthetic drugs transforming markets
‘ C heap and easy ’ synthetic drugs are ‘ changing drug markets with lethal results ’, according to UNODC ’ s World drug report 2023 . Fentanyl has ‘ drastically altered the opioid market in North America with dire consequences ’, it says , with the majority of the country ’ s approximately 90,000 opioidrelated overdose deaths in 2021 involving illegally manufactured fentanyls .
Fentanyl ’ s potency means reduced costs and legal risks for traffickers , as they can ‘ more easily conceal smaller quantities of pure fentanyl in place of larger volumes of heroin ’, the document states – ‘ it has been estimated that as little as a few tons of pure fentanyl would be needed to satisfy the annual consumption of illegally sourced opioids in the United States , in contrast to about 50 metric tons of heroin .’
The purity-adjusted , low-level wholesale price of illegal fentanyl powder fell by more than half between 2016 and 2021 , the report points out . The Taliban ’ s ban on opium cultivation in Afghanistan could result in a drastically reduced harvest this year , it adds , which may see a further shift towards synthetic drug manufacture – the country is already a major producer of methamphetamine .
Based on new data , UNODC estimates the global number of people who inject drugs at 13.2m as of 2021 , 18 per cent up on previous estimates . The total number of people who used drugs in 2021 is estimated at almost 300m , an increase of nearly a quarter on the previous decade , while the number of people with a drug use disorder is now thought to be almost 40m – a figure that has ‘ skyrocketed ’
‘ We are witnessing a continued rise in the number of people suffering from drug use disorders worldwide .’
GHADA WALY
by 45 per cent over a decade . However , the demand for treating drug problems remains ‘ largely unmet ’, with only one in five people with drug use disorders in treatment in 2021 and ‘ widening disparities ’ in access to treatment across regions . ‘ Public health , prevention , and access to treatment services must be prioritised worldwide , or drug challenges will leave more people behind ,’ UNODC states .
‘ We are witnessing a continued rise in the number of people suffering from drug use disorders worldwide , while treatment is failing to reach all of those who need it ,’ said UNODC executive director Ghada Waly .
Document at www . unodc . org / unodc / en / data-and-analysis / world-drug-report-2023 . html
www . un . org
Record cocaine seizures across Europe
England on track to end new HIV transmissions by 2030
MORE THAN 300 TONNES OF COCAINE was seized across EU member states in 2021 , according to EMCDDA ’ s European drug report 2023 . Almost three quarters of the total was seized in three countries – Belgium , the Netherlands and Spain – with the trafficking of large volumes through European seaports in commercial containers ‘ driving the drug ’ s high availability ’, says EMCDDA .
Provisional figures for 2022 , meanwhile , show that the amount seized in Antwerp – a European hub for cocaine trafficking – increased from 91 to 110 tonnes from the previous year . Around 3.7m European adults used cocaine in the last year , making it the continent ’ s most commonly used illicit stimulant , and evidence suggests that organised crime groups are ‘ increasingly targeting smaller ports in other EU countries as well as countries bordering the EU ’, EMCDDA says .
More cocaine is also being manufactured in the EU itself , the report states , with 34 cocaine laboratories dismantled in 2021 – eleven more than the previous year – some of them largescale operations . More than 40 new NPS were identified through the EU ’ s early warning system last year , bringing the total being monitored by the EMCDDA to 930 , and a total of 74 new uncontrolled synthetic opioids have also been identified in Europe since 2009 , says the document . While fentanyl derivatives and highly-potent nitazenes play a ‘ relatively small role ’ in the European drug market compared to the US , there are growing problems in some areas . European Drug Report 2023 at www . emcdda . europa . eu / publications / european-drug-report / 2023 _ en
NEW HIV TRANSMISSIONS in England have fallen by nearly a third since 2019 , with the country on track to meet its target of an 80 per cent reduction by 2025 – and an end to new transmissions by 2030 . Increased testing levels also mean that fewer people are unaware of their HIV status , says an update to the HIV action plan for England from DHSC , UKHSA and NHS England .
As part of the action plan , NHS England is investing £ 20m in the three years to 2025 to expand opt-out BBV testing in emergency departments in areas with high HIV prevalence . The expanded testing helped to diagnose 2,000 BBV cases in the first year , says the update , including more than 340 people living with HIV . Cases of AIDS have also fallen by more than a fifth since 2019 , the document adds . According to the original action plan , however , while rates of new HIV diagnoses were falling among many groups , they remained stable among ‘ people who probably acquired HIV through injecting drug use ’ – at around 100 per year .
HIV Action Plan : annual update to Parliament at www . gov . uk / government / publications / hiv-action-plan-annualupdate-to-parliament /
4 • DRINK AND DRUGS NEWS • JULY / AUGUST 2023 WWW . DRINKANDDRUGSNEWS . COM