The UN is alarmed by the expansion of synthetic drugs in the world

There “cheap, fast and easy production” synthetic drugs has “disastrous consequences” in several countries of the world, warned the UN on Sunday 25 June. Fentanyl, a synthetic opiate 50 times more potent than heroin, “radically changed opioid use in North America”, explained the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), in a press release accompanying the publication of its annual report. In 2021, the majority of overdose deaths in this region were attributable to him.

The organization is also concerned about the consequences of the war in Ukraine. “Some signs [montrent] that it could trigger an expansion of synthetic drug trafficking, due to the existing know-how and the important markets developing in the area”he says.

UNODC also refers to the situation in Afghanistan. The expected drop in opium poppy cultivation, banned by the Taliban authorities, could lead to a shift towards the manufacture of methamphetamine there. The country is already one of the main producers of this substance, which remains the “main illegally manufactured synthetic drug in the world”. “We must step up the fight against traffickers who exploit conflicts and global crises to expand the production of drugs, especially synthetic substances”said the UNODC Executive Director.