Cocaine crisis: 316 million drug addicts endanger society!

Cocaine crisis: 316 million drug addicts endanger society!

Wien, Österreich - The current figures on drug position worldwide are alarming. In 2023, the number of drug consumers is a whopping 316 million people, an increase of 28 percent within the past ten years, such as oz-online.de. This development shows that consumption is growing faster than the global population, which UNODC boss Ghada Waly also confirmed against drug abuse on the international day.

The rapid growth of the cocaine market stood in particular. The illegal cocaine production reached a record amount of 3.708 tons in 2023, which represents an increase of more than a third compared to the previous year. The number of cocaine consumers rose from 17 million in 2013 to 25 million in 2023. This boom has serious consequences: there is an increase in drug deaths and more violence between criminal organizations, whereby more cocaine is now confiscated in Western and Central Europe than in North America, such as Tagesspiegel.de added.

the number of unreported cases and the problem

take a closer look, drug abuse is a far -reaching problem. According to Statista, around 296 million adults worldwide consumed at least one drug in 2021 and around 39.5 million people between the ages of 15 and 64 showed problematic consumption behavior. The number of people with a drug addiction that is globally at around 13.4 million, of which half is infected with the virus, is particularly frightening

Every year, more than 200,000 people die from the direct consequences of drug use. This number corresponds to a global mortality rate of over 40 people per million inhabitants. The USA is also affected by the drug crisis, with almost 70,000 annual fatalities by illegal drugs. The opaque situation is further tightened by the increase in new psychoactive substances and the mixed consumption of drug users.

conclusion: a problem for society as a whole

The growing number of drug users and increasing violence are a signal that we have to act as a society. In the fight against drug abuse, comprehensive information and prevention are required. This is the only way to break through the spiral of drug use and the associated acts of violence.