Unprecedented numbers of people across the globe are currently involved with the consumption of prohibited substances, with statistics demonstrating a surge surpassing 316 million individuals by the year 2023. Cannabis is documented as the prevalent selection among users, trailed closely by opioids and amphetamines. However, it is the market for cocaine that seems to persistently shatter previous records and scale new heights annually. The worldwide production of this controlled substance managed to climb to an all-time unprecedented level by 2023, striving to meet an equally significant global demand, which in turn has ignited the rise of cocaine-linked fatalities in various nations within the last few years. This data was derived from an annual report published by the United Nations on Thursday.
An escalation in the number of cocaine users was observed worldwide in 2023, with the figure rising from 17 million the decade prior to approximately 25 million. Such a substantial surge signalled a substantial 34 percent increase from the previous year, 2022. The task of scrutinizing the production volume and consumption patterns associated with illicit substances, including cocaine, is multifarious, necessitating great amounts of time and effort.
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime publishes a yearly World Drug Report encompassing data until 2023, which is recognized as one of the relatively sparse sources providing global insights into the clandestine drug trade. The observation and evidence procured from this source shed light on various aspects of the worldwide cocaine trade. One of the primary questions the report addresses is the origin of cocaine production.
The primary yield source for cocaine is the coca plant, which is primarily and extensively cultivated in the countries of Colombia, Peru, and Bolivia. The recent escalation in the production of illicit cocaine can be directly traced back to Colombia. This specific rise in the illegal production has been primarily attributed to the expansion of fertilized coca growing regions combined with an increase in the yield of the crop cultivated from each terrain unit, directly contributing to the observed surge in supply.