UN Reports Record High in Cocaine Production

Cocaine production has reached record levels due to rebounding demand post-pandemic and new trafficking hubs emerging in West and Central Africa, according to a report from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. The report also found that improvements in cultivation and conversion methods have helped production boom, rising by 35% between 2021 and 2022. Despite efforts by law enforcement to crack down on cocaine use, global demand for the drug has only grown, with North America constituting 30% of global demand in 2020. Law enforcement interceptions are rising at a higher speed than production, meaning that "interdiction has contained the growth of the global amount of cocaine available for consumption."