ISLAMABAD, July 2: The Karim Khan Afridi Welfare Foundation has called for greater investment in drug prevention efforts, particularly for young people, as global drug use continues to rise and synthetic substances create new public health and enforcement challenges.

The call was made at an awareness event held at Centaurus Mall to mark the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking 2026. The event brought together policymakers, enforcement officials, diplomats, youth, educationists and civil society representatives to discuss the growing drug problem and the need for evidence-based prevention in Pakistan.

Speaking at the event, KKAWF CEO Cristina von Sperling Afridi shared findings from the World Drug Report 2026, released by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime on June 26.

She said global drug use had reached a record high, with an estimated 331 million people using drugs in 2024. The figure represents 6.2 percent of the world’s population aged 15 to 64, compared with 5.2 percent a decade earlier.

Afridi said increasingly potent synthetic drugs were reshaping illicit markets and exposing vulnerable young people to greater health risks. She added that authorities identified 755 new psychoactive substances in 2024, including 118 reported for the first time.

Speakers at the event said Pakistan faces a widening challenge linked to synthetic drugs, online markets, organized crime networks, public health pressures and community safety concerns.

They also referred to reported figures showing 17 million drug users among youth aged 18 to 30, 53 percent drug use among university students in 2022, and drug use affecting every fourth household in Karachi.

The speakers stressed that prevention programs in educational institutions were urgently needed to protect young people and strengthen community-level awareness.

The event was addressed by Regional Commander Anti-Narcotics Force Brigadier Hasan Awaan, Centaurus CEO Sardar Yasir Ilyas, a UNODC representative, DIG Jawad Tariq, Akhlaque Qureshi, Joint Secretary at the Ministry of Narcotics Control, and Portuguese Ambassador Paolo Domingues.

Eman Fayyaz, a member of Pakistan’s national football team, urged young people to take part in team sports as a way to build resilience and stay away from drugs.

The event, held in the main lobby atrium of Centaurus Mall, attracted youth and families visiting the shopping centre. It included the screening of KKAWF’s short film “Drive,” skits performed by local youth groups, distribution of advocacy material, interactive quiz booths and photo activities.

KKAWF said its awareness campaign is part of its mission to educate young people about the harms of drug use and abuse. The civil society organization was launched in 2015 and marked its 10th anniversary in 2025.

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