UN says COVID-19 could change drug consumption for worse

The economic downturn caused by the COVID-19 crisis has the potential to generate a lasting transformation of drug markets and change drug consumption for the worse, according to a UN report published here on Thursday.

“Based on the experiences of the economic crisis of 2008, it is fair to assume that the economic downturn may lead to reductions in drug-related budgets among member states, an overall increase in drug use, with a shift towards cheaper drugs, and a shift in patterns of use towards injecting drugs and to substances with an increased risk of harm due to a greater frequency of injections,” according to the report released by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) based in Vienna.

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The report emphasized that those with socioeconomic disadvantage have been hit harder by the pandemic, which could lead to an increase in the number of people resorting to illicit activities linked to drugs in order to make a living.