UNODC World Drug Report 2026: Global drug markets transforming rapidly

NEW YORK, 28 June. - (ANA) - Drug traffickers are exploiting technologies and global instability to introduce novel drugs, experiment with different trade routes and methods, and aggressively push into new markets, said the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in its World Drug Report 2026 released in New York. 

"We have seen an unprecedented spike in new types of drugs on the market, and worryingly, some are more potent or dangerous than before," said Monica Juma, Executive Director of UNODC. "And, we are already suffering the impact: millions of premature deaths and healthy years of life needlessly lost; drug trafficking networks that are distorting economies; the destruction of lives, communities and livelihoods; and the compounding of insecurity and violence.

The imperative to focus on stopping organized crime groups has never been greater. We must surge deterrence efforts, increase intelligence-sharing and coordinate joint operations, while investing more in prevention and treatment."    - (ANA) - 

AB/ANA/28 June 2026 - - -