Although much of the world’s leadership continues to treat marijuana as though it is a parasite attacking the delicate moral fiber of civil society, a new interactive drug map suggests that very few are still buying into the propaganda behind antiquated drug policies, giving way to a worldwide revolution.
Compiled using the latest United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime report, addiction treatment group Recovery Brands has scrawled a unique portrait of the world’s grips with illicit substances, which indicates that marijuana is the most commonly used substance on the planet.
Snuffing out dangerous drugs like prescription painkillers, it seems that most people across the globe would simply rather smoke weed than indulge in dope. However, as the report points out, the scourge of opioid addiction is far from under control.
“Although opioids are the most treated drug in the world, they are not the most consumed,” the report reads. “With only a few exceptions, marijuana is every country’s top drug by the proportion of users.”
The United States, which has legalized weed for medical and recreational use in over half the nation, is undoubtedly home to a great deal of the global cannabis craze. Yet, surprisingly, the report shows that Iceland is the world leader in pot smoking endeavors – 18 percent of the population is high.
Interestingly, while most of the world has an affinity for pot, there are some nations that prefer speed to weed. The report finds that amphetamines are the drug of choice in places like El Salvador and the Philippines, while the population in Scotland and Spain is most likely walking around with a heedful of cocaine.
When it comes to whether a country offers drug treatment as an alternative to incarceration, the report reveals an embarrassing reality. The only nation to outshine the United States in regards to locking up people for drug-related offenses is Thailand – a place that still considers pot possession over 20 grams a capital offense.
Let’s hope world leaders take these statistics into consideration when the Special Session of the United Nations Assembly on the World Drug Problem meets in April 2016 to begin discussing reforms to international drug laws.
