The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) reports that global cannabis use reached 256 million people in 2024, a 40% increase from 2014. The World Drug Report 2026, released June 26, places cannabis ahead of other widely used drugs: opioids (63 million), amphetamines (32 million), cocaine (25 million) and ecstasy (21 million).
The report measures prevalence among people aged 15–64 and shows past-year cannabis use rose from 3.8% in 2014 to 4.8% in 2024. UNODC attributes the growth to changing public perceptions in some jurisdictions, shifts in production and trafficking, and expanding markets that include both regulated and unregulated supply.
Regional totals and prevalence UNODC provides regional counts for 2024: North America 69.3 million; Asia 68.5 million (including 32 million in South Asia); Africa 65.1 million (including 33.5 million in West and Central Africa); Europe 31.3 million (including 26.9 million in Western and Central Europe); South America 15.7 million; Oceania 3.5 million. The highest national prevalence rates were in North America: Canada 32.4% and the United States 26.4% for 2024. Other countries with high rates include New Zealand (14.1%), Spain (12.6%), Uruguay (12.3%) and Australia (11.5%).
Trafficking and supply shifts Historically, cannabis trafficking remained mostly within regions because the plant can be cultivated in many climates. From 2015–2024, however, interregional trafficking increased: 57 countries or territories outside North America identified North America as a source for cannabis seizures, up from 11 in the previous decade. At the same time, reporting of traditional international source countries such as Afghanistan, Morocco and the Netherlands declined. UNODC signals that high-THC products originating in North America are reaching overseas markets more often than before.
Potency, production and markets UNODC reports mean THC levels in U.S. cannabis products on the unregulated market rose from about 4% in 1995 to 16.1% in 2024. The agency links this increase to improved plant varieties, a shift toward indoor cultivation, and competition between regulated and unregulated suppliers to meet consumer demand. A U.S. study of samples from 2013–2022 found legal-dispensary products generally contained higher THC and lower CBD than illegal-market samples.
Youth, perceptions and availability UNODC documents a reversal in long-term trends in how young people view cannabis harm. While risk perception of occasional and regular use declined for decades among U.S. adolescents, that trend reversed after 2021: surveys show increasing perception of harm, including concerns about vaping cannabis. School surveys in the U.S. also report a decline in perceived availability, meaning adolescents increasingly say cannabis is harder to obtain.
Use among adolescents has fallen for alcohol, tobacco and cannabis overall, the report notes, but technology-mediated risks are rising. E-cigarette use and vaping of tobacco and cannabis have increased. UNODC warns that vaping cartridges can contain other substances, including potentially lethal new psychoactive substances (NPS), and that vaping can be used to evade detection or to supplement smoking.
Semi-synthetic cannabinoids After 2020, semi-synthetic cannabinoids such as delta-8 THC and HHC appeared widely in markets in the United States and in Western and Central Europe. Sellers offered these substances in multiple forms on both legal and illegal markets. Brightly colored gummies and other attractive formats contributed to accidental poisonings among young people and children. National and international controls introduced between 2022 and 2025 reduced availability of some substances, including HHC (subject to international control in 2025). UNODC reports delta-8-THC had already been listed internationally but bypassed some national laws, including in parts of the U.S.
U.S. school data cited in the report show 12.3% of 12th graders (17- and 18-year-olds) reported past-year delta-8-THC use in 2024. In 2025 the share reporting use of hemp-derived cannabis products (including delta-8, delta-10 and HHC) fell to 9.2%.
Concrete numbers, direct effects UNODC uses concrete metrics throughout: 256 million global users in 2024; 40% growth since 2014; regional user totals; national prevalence rates; and a jump in average THC concentration in the U.S. from 4% (1995) to 16.1% (2024). The report ties these numbers to observable causes—policy changes such as legalization or decriminalization in some jurisdictions, market responses in product types and potency, and evolving trafficking routes.
What the report highlights for policymakers and public health officials UNODC calls attention to three measurable trends: rising user numbers and prevalence globally; wider interregional trafficking with North America as an expanding source; and the growth of higher-potency products alongside the emergence of semi-synthetic cannabinoids and vaping products that can contain other harmful substances. The report documents changes in adolescent perceptions and use patterns that could affect prevention and enforcement strategies.
The World Drug Report 2026 offers year-on-year data and country-level comparisons that agencies can use to monitor changes in use patterns, product composition and cross-border flows. The UNODC data set identifies where controls and public health responses have reduced availability of particular substances and where new products continue to appear on markets.
