Constituting the second part of the World Drug Report 2021, the present booklet contains an overview of the global demand for and supply of drugs. It provides the latest estimates of and trends in drug use and looks at several cross-cutting issues related to the world drug problem. Among the issues examined are the extent of drug use and its health impact, including trends seen among people with drug use disorders, drug treatment demand, the harms resulting from NPS use, and HIV and hepatitis among people who inject drugs. The booklet also features a projection of the impact of population growth on drug use by 2030.
On drug supply, the booklet provides an overview of the extent of illicit crop cultivation and trends in drug production and trafficking, including of NPS, at the global level. In addition, it reviews the latest evidence regarding the supply of drugs and other substances through drug markets on the Internet. It includes a chapter dedicated to the sale on the clear web of a number of synthetic substances destined for drug markets, and another on trafficking in drugs and NPS on the dark web.
