20 February 2025 – Substance use disorders represent one of the most pressing public health challenges of our time, with profound consequences for individuals, communities, and societies. Drug use disorders affect physical and mental health, undermine economic stability and national security and strain public health systems. With drug use rising globally, comprehensive policies and treatment programmes are urgently needed.
Drug use is linked to a range of severe health issues, including mental health conditions, suicides, HIV/AIDS, hepatitis, tuberculosis, and cardiovascular disease. According to the United Nations 2024 World Drug Report, an estimated 292 million people – 5.6% of individuals aged between 15 and 64 – used drugs in 2022. That the economic burden of drug use – including its association with crime, health problems and lost productivity – accounts for around 2% of GDP in some countries exemplifies the far-reaching impacts of this crisis.
The situation in the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Eastern Mediterranean Region, where 6.7% of the population report drug use, higher than the global average of 5.6%, is alarming. Opioid use is widespread in countries such as Afghanistan, the Islamic Republic of Iran and Qatar. In Egypt, tramadol use has become as prevalent as cannabis. Prescription drug misuse – including benzodiazepines and Captagon – is increasingly common in Iraq, Libya and the Syrian Arab Republic.
Since 1990, the number of people in the