Cannabis is the most widely used drug in Africa

Cannabis use is high in West, Central and Southern Africa and the presence of cocaine and opioids such as tramadol is increasing across the continent, according to a United Nations report.

According to the World Drug Report 2025, published this Thursday by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), around 10% of the African population between the ages of 15 and 64 used cannabis in 2023 , with a special incidence in West, Central and Southern Africa.

In turn, according to the document, Africa accounted for 44% of the total amount of cannabis herb and resin seized worldwide last year .

The prevalence of opioid use reached 1.4% on the continent, with non-medical use of tramadol being a major concern, particularly in North Africa and West and Central Africa.

Between 2019 and 2023, “57% of pharmaceutical opioids seized in the world originated in Africa”, largely due to the misuse of tramadol, he stressed.

As for cocaine use, it is increasing steadily in Africa , although available data on treatments is scarce, he lamented.

West, Central and Southern Africa have seen the highest growth in cocaine use.

According to the report, “South Africa, Angola, Cape Verde, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Liberia, Morocco, Mozambique, Niger, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone and Zambia have seen an increase in treatment admissions for cocaine use disorders.”

At the same time, Africa has become a strategic point in the transit of South American cocaine to Europe , “with significant seizures close to the coast, especially in West Africa”.

The UN has warned that traffickers are taking advantage of a record wave of production and exploring new markets in Africa and Asia.

The report also draws attention to the increase in the consumption of new psychoactive substances (NPS).

While Khat remains common in East Africa, the use of synthetic NPS, such as the cannabinoids present in Kush, is growing rapidly, particularly in West and Central Africa.

The combination of drugs such as 'Nyaope', 'Karkoubi' and 'Kush' poses a growing threat to public health in countries such as Guinea-Bissau, Sierra Leone and Liberia, with these mixtures often containing dangerous substances such as synthetic opioids from the nitazene group.

According to the UN agency, around 1.33 million people inject drugs in Africa, of which 204,000 (15.4%) were living with HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) in 2023.

In turn, Southern Africa “has the highest prevalence of HIV among these users” (43.2%), while West and Central Africa has the highest rate of people who inject drugs (0.21%).

Other trends highlighted in the research include the gender gap – there is one woman for every nine men using cannabis – and the predominance of users under 35 among those seeking treatment, particularly due to cannabis and opioid use in Africa.

Heroin seizures increased in 2023, with heroin from Southeast Asia entering East Africa and circulating through the remaining sub-regions towards other markets, such as Europe, but also Africa itself.

Methamphetamine trafficking is also expanding in Africa.

However, despite these data and the increase in drugs available and trafficking in Africa, treatment coverage remains uneven.

According to UNODC estimates, treatment coverage for drug use disorders in Africa is only around 3%.

According to the UN, these specialized services are often limited to capitals or large urban centers.

The report also highlights the growth in the non-medical use of pregabalin – a drug prescribed for epilepsy and anxiety disorders – whose recreational use has spread across Africa, Europe and the Middle East.

Globally, 316 million people used illicit drugs in 2023 (excluding alcohol and tobacco), equivalent to 6% of the population aged 15-64 . Cannabis leads with 244 million users, followed by opioids (61 million), amphetamines (30.7 million), cocaine (25 million) and ecstasy (21 million).