Welcome to the global synthetic drug revolution

The global drug trade exhibits striking regional differences, with varying drug preferences across different parts of the world. However, a common thread unites these regions: The pervasive rise of synthetic drugs.

Synthetic drugs are the future of drug trafficking. Plant-based drugs, such as cocaine, heroin and marijuana — drugs that require control of large swaths of land and a favorable climate — are out. Synthetic drugs, which can be manufactured anywhere with a little bit of money and some chemical know-how, are in.  

What started as the opioid crisis in the U.S. has taken the world by storm. And no one is safe. Earlier this month, the United Kingdom’s National Crime Agency released its annual threat assessment of serious and organized crime, noting ominously that “there has never been a more dangerous time to take drugs.” This is due in large part to a rise of drugs like “nitazenes” — a synthetic opioid that can be as much as 50 times stronger than fentanyl.

Those drugs have contributed to a 60 percent increase in drug-related fatalities, a trend that seems likely to continue given Afghanistan’s ban on poppy cultivation, a key source of heroin for the UK and Europe.

As the UK faces a surge in nitazenes, Africa grapples with a different but equally alarming trend. The emergence of “kush” — a terrifying blend of cannabis, synthetic drugs like fentanyl and tramadol, and ground-up human bones — has led to widespread addiction and overdose deaths.

In April, the president of Sierra Leone called the emergence of synthetic drugs an “existential threat” and declared a national emergency to call attention to the issue. The situation is so dire that cemeteries have begged to help protect them from young men digging up skeletons for use in the mixture.

In South America, officials are sounding the alarm about “pink cocaine,” an increasingly prevalent drug which, despite its name, rarely contains cocaine. Also known as “tuci” or “tucibi,” pink cocaine is actually composed of an unpredictable mix of synthetic drugs, including ketamine (the fast-acting anesthetic responsible for actor Matthew Perry’s shocking overdose death), MDMA, opioids and methamphetamine. The potent drug cocktail first appeared years ago in Colombia but is now widely abused across South America and has recently gained traction in the U.S.

Yet another synthetic drug, counterfeit Captagon, has exploded across the Middle East. Also referred to as “poor man’s cocaine,” Captagon is a cheap and highly addictive stimulant that is used recreationally to support ISIS’s violent terror campaign. From 2019 to 2022, authorities in the region have seized more than 1 billion Captagon pills, many of them traced back to laboratories in Lebanon and Syria.

Sadly, the world’s most populous region has not been spared. According to the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime, in 2023, authorities seized more than 190 metric tons of methamphetamine in East and Southeast Asia — the highest amount on record. At the same time, new synthetic drugs have surfaced such as “happy water” and “party lollipops” — containing ketamine, MDMA and benzodiazepines — further complicating the region’s counterdrug response.  

Addressing the global shift to synthetic drugs demands innovative thinking and stronger international cooperation. The U.S.-led Global Coalition to Address Synthetic Drug Threats provides a useful framework through which to confront this shared challenge and push for greater urgency at the international level.

First, amid this ever-changing landscape, the global community must create a vastly larger and more capable drug surveillance and detection system, similar to the World Health Organization’s efforts to identify infectious diseases. After all, we can’t fix the problem if we don’t know what it is.

This will require greater investment in novel technologies and public health organizations, particularly in countries that lack the resources or infrastructure to monitor emerging drug threats effectively.

The global community should also build upon existing drug control treaties and conventions to develop universal, evidence-based strategies across the entire continuum of care. 

Supply reduction remains a key pillar of the international drug regime, but it must be expanded to include best practices in drug prevention and awareness, harm reduction, treatment and recovery. As our understanding of substance use evolves, we must ensure that access to best practices is not limited to any country or region. 

Finally, countries around the world must acknowledge that a “whole-of-government” approach is necessary but not sufficient to tackle the complexity and scale of the global drug trade. Rather, today’s crisis requires a “whole-of-society” approach.  

While governments will continue to play a critical role in shaping the response to the drug crisis, they must also engage with private industry, nonprofits and individuals to help develop innovative solutions, drive grassroots efforts and address specific community needs. 

Synthetic drugs are no longer a uniquely American problem. There are countries that have a synthetic drug problem and those that don’t realize it yet. The worst potential outcomes of this revolution are avoidable, but only if the world acts swiftly, deliberately, and collectively.  

There is no time to waste.

Jim Crotty is an adjunct professor at American University’s School of Public Affairs, former deputy chief of staff at the Drug Enforcement Administration and an active member of the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime’s network of experts.