As a supplement to the annual report of the International Narcotics Control Board, the INCB Secretariat publishes a technical report that provides an overview of the world wide licit manufacture, export, import, stocks and consumption of substances controlled under the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs of 1961. In addition to providing specific figures for movements of many scheduled substances, the report includes a commentary on emerging and ongoing trends in the licit market for narcotic drugs under international control.

Part one provides general information for users of the present tech nical report on narcotic drugs. It consists of a section entitled “Introduction”, a section entitled “Remarks on the statistical tables” and two indexes: (a) An English-French-Spanish index of names of countries and non-metropolitan territories; (b) An English-French-Spanish index of names of narcotic drugs. In 2012, the Board decided to modify the structure of the technical report on narcotic drugs by moving some information to the annexes. As of 2018, the report in its entirety, including annexes, is available on the INCB website (www.incb.org). The section entitled “Introduction” contains explanations on the purpose of the technical report and on the main modifications to the structure and content of the report made last year. The section entitled “Remarks on the statistical tables” provides general clarifications on the statistical tables. The indexes facilitate referencing, since countries, non-metropolitan territories and narcotic drugs are listed in the tables in English alphabetical order.

The objective of part two, entitled “Comments on the reported statistics on narcotic drugs”, is to facilitate the use of statistical information on the production, manufacture, consumption, utilization and stocks of the main narcotic drugs under international control and, where applicable, poppy straw, which is presented in the tables of reported statistics. Those data may be used for analytical purposes by Governments, industry, researchers and the general public. The comments focus on developments in the previous year and, where appropriate, take into account the situation during the preceding two decades.

Part three, entitled “Supply of opiate raw materials and demand for opiates for medical and scientific purposes”, contains an analysis of the current situation regarding that area of supply and demand. The analysis serves as background information for the conclusions and recommendations on the subject made by the Board in its annual report, with a view to maintaining a lasting balance between the supply of and demand for opiate raw materials. The data used in the analysis are based on statistical reports on the cultivation of opium poppy, the production and utilization of opiate raw materials and the consumption of opiates furnished by Governments in respect of 2022, as well as advance data for 2023 on the cultivation of opium poppy and production of opiate raw materials, submitted on a voluntary basis by the major producing countries and supplemented by the relevant estimates for 2024. The data for 2023 are provisional, and those for 2024 are projections based on the information available. All data relating to production, utilization, consumption, trade and stocks are expressed in terms of morphine or thebaine equivalent, for ease of comparison. The text is supplemented by tables and figures.

Part four presents the statistical information on narcotic drugs furnished to the Board by countries and territories. This part shows the actual movement of narcotic drugs and poppy straw, as applicable, for the five-year period 2018–2022, except in the following tables: table XIV.1, which contains data on levels of consumption of narcotic drugs covering the period 20202022 and table XIV.3, which contains data on global consumption of opioids covering the 20-year period 2003–2022. Explanatory notes for each of the statistical tables are on pages 137-140.