CAIRO – 28 June 2021: The number of drug addicts around the world expected to increase in the coming years, and may exceed 300 million drug users in 2030 according to Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Ghada Waly. In statements to the Egyption privately-owned channel on TV, Sunday, Waly added that countries with high population growth are the countries that will be more likely to have an increase in drug use. She noted that the rates of drug abuse in European countries will decrease, in contrast to African countries and other poor spots around the world which will be witnessing an increase in the drug dealing and abuse. On June 25, Waly said that Around 275 million people used drugs worldwide last year, while over 36 million others suffered from drug use disorders. In a statement on the occasion of the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, Waly said drugs destroy health of individuals, noting that half a million of people died of drugs in 2019.
