Drugs Take Center Stage at U.N. General Assembly as Global Divide Emerges

Drugs took an unusually prominent place at the United Nations General Assembly this week, as leaders used the world stage to press for tougher enforcement and to highlight health and development concerns often left on the sidelines.

U.S. President Donald Trump touted a hard-line drug-enforcement approach, pointing to actions that designate some Latin American cartels as foreign terrorist organizations and to deadly strikes on speedboats suspected of carrying drugs. He signaled that authorities would pursue aggressive tactics against drug trafficking networks. Hours later, Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro pushed back, accusing Washington of using criminalization as a political tool and arguing that domestic drug production and trafficking deserve attention alongside international pressure. Petro’s comments reflected a broader warning that the United States’ approach risks harming other countries and overlooks public health needs. In a related policy signal, the United States for the first time in decades listed Colombia as falling short of its international drug-control obligations.

Analysts say the exchange underscored a deep rift over how to confront drugs on the global stage. The international system is extremely divided on drug policy, according to Vanda Felbab-Brown, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution who has followed the issue for years. The dispute is not new, she said, but the intensity at this year’s gathering was notable.

While wars in Gaza and Ukraine, climate change and other crises dominated much of the marathon week of speeches and meetings, drug policy surfaced in side events on gender-inclusive drug policy and international cooperation to fight organized crime.

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime estimated that 316 million people worldwide used marijuana, opioids or other drugs in 2023, a 28% rise over a decade. The figures do not count alcohol or tobacco. Regional trends vary: cocaine use has grown in Europe, methamphetamine is rising in Southeast Asia, and synthetic opioids are making new inroads in West and Central Africa while continuing to trouble North America.

The UNODC notes that trafficking is increasingly dominated by organized crime groups with tentacles and partnerships that span continents, underscoring the need for broad cooperation. Jeremy Douglas, the agency’s chief of staff, said that governments are increasingly treating organized crime and drug trafficking as threats to national and regional security and are beginning to align diplomatic, intelligence, law enforcement and financial measures to push back. He added that while regional coalitions exist, there is a growing push for a more global approach.

Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino told the assembly that his country had seized a historic and alarming total of 150 tons of cocaine and other drugs this year alone, illustrating the scale of cross-border trafficking that reverberates through Central America.

Even as some participants call for stronger enforcement, others highlight a parallel public-health track. The UN system hosts ongoing debates about decriminalization in certain contexts and harm-reduction measures, alongside traditional prohibition. The U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, has pointed to the limits of punitive approaches and argued for decriminalizing some drug use while clamping down on illegal markets. A separate U.N. Development Programme report released recently warned that punitive drug-control policies have contributed to deaths and disease among users, created racial disparities in enforcement, and caused other societal harms. Former Mexican President Ernesto Zedillo, speaking at a related event, questioned whether the current regime remains fit for purpose and urged governments to demonstrate the courage to act differently.

Policy-makers remain divided on objectives and the means to achieve them. Some countries maintain the death penalty for certain drug offenses, while others have moved toward legalization or decriminalization of marijuana in limited contexts. In yet another example of the breadth of approaches, Thailand’s experience has shown a tightening of rules after an initial foray into legalization. The spectrum of national laws highlights a broader challenge: how to balance enforcement, treatment, harm-reduction services and social investments to reduce both supply and demand.

As leaders delivered remarks, the diversity of views was evident in the comments of regional heads of state and government. Tajikistan’s President Emomali Rahmon described drug trafficking as a serious threat to global security, while Guyana’s President Irfaan Ali, Syria’s new president Ahmad al-Sharaa, Costa Rica’s Foreign Minister Arnoldo André Tinoco, Peru’s President Dina Boluarte and Panama’s Mulino spoke about the ways trafficking exploits migratory routes and undermines protection systems. They called for coordinated action and a renewed commitment to dialogue within the U.N. framework, arguing that none of these challenges is purely national and all demand international cooperation.

The sense among observers is that momentum for a global, comprehensive approach exists, but agreement on exact tools and timelines remains elusive. With a mix of enforcement-first rhetoric and calls for health-centered reform, the gathering reflected a world increasingly aware that the drug problem crosses borders and traditions—and one that requires both security measures and humane, evidence-based policies to reduce harm and save lives.