Getting !!
We are way past that.
Fancy a bump? According to the UN’s latest drug report more than 22 million people do, and production of the Bolivian marching powder is at an all-time high.
The recently-published World Drug Report 2023 found that there were 22 million people who used cocaine in 2021, up from 21 million the previous year.
Following the laws of supply and demand, coca bush cultivation jumped from 234 200 hectares in 2020 to 315 000ha in 2021. Business seems to be boom-booming – if you’re a drug dealer.
Cocaine seizures have however outpaced production, with 2 026 tons seized in 2021. This is still lower than in the mid-2000s, but production of the drug has steadily increased since 2015. The Americas and Western and Central Europe still dominate the charlie market, but the drug’s usage is growing fast in Africa, Asia, and Southeastern Europe.
“The world is currently experiencing a prolonged surge in both supply and demand of cocaine, which is now being felt across the globe and is likely to spur the development of new markets beyond the traditional confines.”
