A Global Glut in Cocaine Shocks the World

"By 2023, approximately 30,000 overdose deaths in the U.S. involved cocaine. Synthetic opioids, particularly fentanyl, remain the principal driver of death, followed by cocaine. Acute cocaine toxicity may cause arrhythmia, seizure, ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke, and sudden cardiac death."

"Beginning in 2016 and especially accelerating between 2020 and 2023, record amounts of coca were cultivated and record amounts of cocaine were produced, as documented by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. By 2022, the estimated potential production in Colombia had more than tripled from 2015."

"Improved, more resilient coca plant varieties, combined with better techniques, led to exploding production, with potential yields increasing by more than 50% in the last reported period. Colombia produced an estimated 3,000 metric tons of cocaine in 2024."

Cocaine has emerged as a major contributor to overdose deaths in the United States, accounting for nearly one-third of all overdose fatalities by 2023. This represents a dramatic shift from a decade ago when such figures seemed implausible. Cocaine causes acute toxicity leading to arrhythmias, seizures, strokes, and sudden cardiac death, while chronic use results in cardiomyopathy, atherosclerosis, neurocognitive impairment, and psychiatric disorders. The resurgence stems from Colombia, where approximately 92% of U.S. street cocaine originates. Since 2016, particularly between 2020 and 2023, coca cultivation and cocaine production reached record levels. Improved coca plant varieties and enhanced production techniques increased yields by over 50%, with Colombia producing an estimated 3,000 metric tons of cocaine in 2024. This expanded production has increased cocaine availability in North America and Europe, directly correlating with rising death rates.

Read at Psychology Today