A new Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) study underscores that drug use disorders are a major and escalating public health challenge across the Americas, now ranking among the top ten risk factors for mortality and disability in the region. In 2021, an estimated 17.7 million people were living with a drug use disorder, leading to nearly 78,000 deaths—four times the global average.
The analysis, grounded in Global Burden of Disease 2021 data, finds that opioid use disorders drive the majority of fatalities, accounting for over 75 % of drug-related deaths, and disproportionately affecting young men. From 2000 to 2021, the years of healthy life lost (DALYs) due to drug use disorders nearly tripled, rising by almost 5 % per year on average. Deaths among women also increased, highlighting emerging gender-specific trends.
Regional patterns vary: in North America, opioids—especially synthetic opioids like fentanyl—and amphetamines predominate, while in the Caribbean, Central, and South America, cannabis and cocaine remain key contributors to the burden. Across the Americas in 2021, more than 145,000 deaths from conditions linked to drug use—such as overdose, liver disease, and suicide—were documented.
PAHO leaders emphasize that drug use disorders are preventable and treatable, and call for scaled, evidence-based prevention, treatment, and harm reduction strategies, particularly for youth and high-risk populations, integrated within community and primary health systems.
Full article linked here: https://www.paho.org/en/news/14-1-2026-drug-use-disorders-growing-public-health-concern-americas-paho-study-finds