BRUSSELS. – The HIM warned about the increase in the appearance of drugs with unknown risks to public health in Latin America. As reported by the investigation unit of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Drugs Crime (UNODC), since 2013 there have been 704 new uncontrolled synthetic substances.
According to the United Nations Forensic Program’s Global Synthetic Drug Monitoring Program (SMART), during 2023, 13 drugs were added to the monitoring list.
Preliminary information indicates that the countries where there is the greatest number of identified drugs are Argentina and Colombia with four each. Chile follows, with three; Brazil, with two, and Bolivia and El Salvador, with one, respectively.
Likewise, it is indicated that four of the identified substances belong to synthetic cathinones, such as 4-CMC. These stimulants are often misleadingly offered on the market as a replacement for amphetamine and ecstasy.
On the other hand, four novel substances belong to the group of classic hallucinogens, such as 25B-NBOH and 1P-LSD.
296 million use drugs
The United Nations Office against Drug and Crime estimated the number of people who injected drugs at 13.2 million in 2021: 18% more than the previous figure.
The United Nations reported, in March 2023, that worldwide more than 296 million people consumed drugs in 2021. This means an increase of 23% compared to the previous decade.
“For its part, the number of people suffering from drug use disorders has skyrocketed to 39.5 million, which represents an increase of 45% in 10 years,” the agency indicated.
Source: UN/ El Universal de México
