Laura Poy Solano
La Jornada Newspaper
Sunday, January 25, 2026, p. 6
The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) warns that drug use disorders (TCD) continue to increase in the region, and have become a serious public health problem.
Among the findings of a recent study, it stands out that 17.7 million people in the Americas live with some CDD, ranging from anxiety, depression, attention deficit, schizophrenia, suicidal ideation, cirrhosis and liver cancer, among others.
The agency reported that its impact is reflected in the fact that at least 145,515 deaths in 2021 in the region were caused by conditions such as opioid overdose, liver cancer, cirrhosis and suicide attributable to drug use.
Likewise, according to global health estimates from the World Health Organization (WHO), deaths related to these disorders in Latin America and the Caribbean increased 198 percent from 2000 to 2019.
The study indicates that so-called CDD, including those related to opioids, amphetamines, cannabis, cocaine and other drugs, pose growing economic and health challenges worldwide, as they disproportionately affect young men, although they have also begun to increase in women.
PAHO emphasizes that opioid use disorders accounted for more than 75 percent of deaths related to all CDDs.
The disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) associated with these disorders “almost tripled between 2000 and 2021, with an average increase of close to 5 percent annually,” he emphasizes.
They highlight the importance of timely diagnosis
The United Nations agency indicates that although there are various effective interventions, such as pharmacological treatment and harm reduction strategies for CDD, they continue to have considerable and avoidable consequences.
Therefore, it emphasizes that comprehensive public health solutions, which include prevention, timely diagnosis and integrated care, are central to reducing deaths and DALYs associated with drug use.
Regarding its effects in each region of the continent, the study reveals that in North America there is a marked increase in disorders related to opioids – particularly high-potency synthetic ones, such as fentanyl – as well as amphetamines.
In contrast, in the Caribbean, Central America and South America, the main triggers of CDD in the last decade have been the use of cannabis and cocaine.
