UN drugs agency says global supply of cocaine is at record levels

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has said that the global supply of cocaine is at record levels. In its "Global Report on Cocaine 2023," the UNODC said the surge is partly a result of an expansion in cocoa bush cultivation, which doubled between 2013 and 2017, hit a peak in 2018 and rose sharply again in 2021. But this surge is also because of improvements in the process of conversion from cocoa bush cocaine hydrochloride.

The UNODC said that the Covid pandemic had a disruptive effect on drug markets.

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"With international travel severely curtailed, producers struggled to get their product to market. Night clubs and bars were shut as officials ramped up theirattempts to control the virus, causing demand to slump for drugs like cocaine that are often associated with those settings," it said.

However, most recent data suggests this slump had little impact on long-term trends.

"In parallel, there has been a continuing growth in demand, with most regions showing steadily rising numbers of users over the past decade. Although these increases can be partly explained by population growth, there is also a rising prevalence of cocaine use," the UNODC said in its report.

It further pointed out that interceptions by law enforcement agencies have also been on the rise "at a higher speed than production (of cocaine), meaning that interdiction has contained the growth of the global amount of cocaine available for consumption."

North America and Western and Central Europe remain the largest destination markets for cocaine, but data suggested that new markets are the fastest growing. Africa and Asia have emerged as potentially developing markets.

Africa

The UNODC said in its 2023 report that Africa continues to play a significant part in the global cocaine market. "While an important aspect of this is its role in as a transit region, this role has also likely contributed to the development of local markets," it added. The drugs agency said that the prevalence of past-year use for Africa overall is estimated at 0.27 per cent as of 2020, an average level significantly less than the Americas, Europe and Oceania, but above Asia (0.07 per cent).

"However, Africa remains the region most affected by a lack of data on drug supply and demand and any estimate is affected by a high level of uncertainty," the report said.

Citing seizure data, the UNODC said the role of Africa, especially West and Central Africa, as a transit zone for cocaine on its way to destination markets such as Europe has expanded substantially starting in 2019.

Asia

When it comes to Asia, the UNODC said the indications of cocaine use and trafficking in East and South-East Asia are limited and point mainly to moderate levels of use in specific urban pockets, and to the exploitation of some countries in this subregion as transit points for cocaine trafficked towards urban consumer centres or other destination markets.

"However, this subregion accounts for a large share of the world’s population and a number of these countries have experienced strong economic growth, creating a burgeoning middle class which could be susceptible to the initiation of cocaine use," the report said.

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