In terms of treatment demand, it seems to be growing in every region of the world.

ATS regroups a wide range of categories of drugs: In North America, there is a greater use of methamphetamines and prescription of amphetamines, while in Asia and Central Europe it is more focused on methamphetamine. In other regions, such as Africa, we have very little information on ATS use.

It is important to look at the forms of ATS because they will lead to different harms. Some are smoked, others injected making drug injectors more threatened by HIV.
Today, most drugs are synthetic, and many are not under the international drug control system. We know very little about their effects, while they emerge very quickly. They can be purchased cheaply on the internet and shipped directly to the drug user.