New data put the global estimate of people who inject drugs in 2021 at 13.2 million, 18 per cent higher than previously estimated. Globally, over 296 million people used drugs in 2021, an increase of 23 per cent over the previous decade. The number of people who suffer from drug use disorders, meanwhile, has skyrocketed to 39.5 million, a 45 per cent increase over 10 years
The demand for treating drug-related disorders remains largely unmet, according to the report. Only one in five people suffering from drug-related disorders were in treatment for drug use in 2021, with widening disparities in access to treatment across regions.
Youth populations are the most vulnerable to using drugs and are also more severely affected by substance use disorder in several regions. In Africa, 70 per cent of people in treatment are under the age of 35.
Public health, prevention, and access to treatment services must be prioritized worldwide, the report argues, or drug challenges will leave more people behind.
(We cannot arrest our way out of this mess, but we most certainly cannot ‘treat our way out’ of it either. Prevention must be Priority ONE and Drug use exiting Recovery Priority TWO World Drug Report 2023 Source: ISSUP News June 2023)