The Global State of Drug Criminalization

Out of the 10.1 million people facing drug-related penalties/the criminal justice system for drug offenses in 2023, two thirds did so due to drug possession or use. This is according to the World Drug Report 2025 by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, published Thursday.

Globally, 6.1 million people are estimated to have been in formal contact with the police (suspected, arrested or cautioned) due to drug-related offenses in 2023. Two thirds of these (4 million) were for drug possession or use, while 29 percent (1.75 million) were linked to trafficking and the final 5 percent (308,000) to other drug offenses. This skew is seen further along the criminal justice process too, with upwards of 60 percent of those prosecuted and also of those convicted on drug charges relating to possession or use.

The aggregated data shows that while a higher number of people have contact with the system due to possession and use, those who are involved in trafficking are more likely to be prosecuted and convicted for their offenses. According to the UNODC, the opposite is true in Africa. The analysts add that regional differences can be explained by factors such as the size of the respective populations using drugs and how punitive different legal environments are towards drug-related criminal offences.

“The criminal justice system would be more efficient if resources were refocused on disrupting supply chains and criminal networks”, UNODC analysts state in the report. “Criminal justice systems should also explore alternatives to conviction or punishment for drug-related offenses in cases of an appropriate nature. This is particularly relevant when cases involve people who use drugs, many of whom are in situations of vulnerability.”

The UNODC calls on government bodies and institutions to help prevent drug use and support people in recovering from drug use disorders and related harms, alongside other measures such as cooperating with the private sector and the banking sector for identifying suspicious financial transactions and working with the chemical industry to better prevent the diversion of substances and equipment into illicit drug manufacture.