UNODC Calls for Strengthened Measures Against Synthetic Drugs in Central Asia

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — The Regional Representative of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Oliver Stölpe, has called for urgent and coordinated action by Central Asian countries in response to the growing threats posed by synthetic drugs.

According to him, the reduction of illegal opium production in Afghanistan has shifted drug trafficking toward synthetic substances.

By the end of 2024, methamphetamine seizures in the region had increased by 50%, with average quantities more than doubling. In several countries, laboratories producing synthetic drugs have already been identified and dismantled.

Stölpe highlighted positive steps, including the CHAMPS initiative for prevention, the work of Interagency Mobile Units, and the development of the Regional Youth Network, which now has over 3,000 participants.

He urged governments to strengthen precursor control, enhance measures against cyber trafficking, expand prevention programs, improve early detection, and adapt treatment services, ensuring the resilience of the Central Asian Regional Centre on Drug Control (CARC).