West Africa Confronts Critical Health Crisis Amid Rising Drug Abuse
Synthetic Drug Crisis in West Africa: A Public Health Emergency
A new report warns that the proliferation of synthetic drugs across West Africa presents the most "urgent and complex" public health and security challenges facing the region. Published by the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime, the report says the burden of consumption—and its devastating consequences—falls disproportionately on young people.
"The crisis has grown so severe that since 2024, two countries have declared states of…