Navigating the Drugs Crisis in Developing and Developed Economies: The Role of Digital Influence and Need for Urgent Legal Reform

The global drug problem has metastasized into a multi-faceted crisis, exacerbated by the unfortunate interaction of obsolete legal frameworks, technological advancements, and socio-economic vulnerabilities. This is not merely an indictment of individual criminal behaviour but a reflection of systemic failures in policy, enforcement, and governance, manifesting even at the global level. The ramifications of this crisis extend beyond legal transgressions, embedding themselves into public health concerns, urban crime networks, and socio-economic disparities. A crucial yet under examined factor compounding drug abuse is the normalization of substance abuse through digital media. The rise of OTT platforms has been instrumental in portraying substance abuse as an element of power, rebellion, or social prestige. Parallelly, unregulated social media networks—such as Telegram, Instagram etc.—have become conduits of illicit drug transactions and have catalysed the sustenance of a global and organised system of drug trade, further aggravated by the increasing reliance on cryptocurrency, making it harder to trace these transactions. The entanglement between the illicit drug trade and urban crime networks, where organized syndicates exploit juveniles and women as intermediaries, further widens the drug crisis requires inculcating international perspectives leading to a comprehensive, interdisciplinary approach, rooted in global best practices.