GENEVA: The number of global drug users has increased by nearly a quarter in the past decade, according to a report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
The UNODC office in Vienna expressed concern in its report released on Sunday (Jun 25) over the spread of synthetic drugs and troubled areas such as Ukraine and Afghanistan.
From 2011 to 2021, the number of drug users increased from an estimated 240 million to 296 million, representing a 23 percent increase, as reported by Anadolu Agency.
According to the UN agency, approximately half of this increase is due to population growth. The number of people suffering from drug addiction or related illnesses increased by 45 percent to 39.5 million during that period.
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