Cannabis Statistics

[Rosy Cheeks]

I read through the 2006 World Drug Report last night and thought it could be interesting to see to what extent people consume Cannabis in different countries. The statistics concern consumption (called abuse in the report) and is presented in percentage of the population aged 15-64. The last update by country is presented between parentheses. Here’s the top-10 list of toker countries in the world:

1. Papua New Guinea: (1995)……………….29.5%
2. Micronesia Fed.State: (1995)…………….29.1%
3. Ghana: (1998)……………………………….....21.5%
4. Zambia: (2003)……………………………... …17.7%
5. Canada: (2004)…………………………...…..16.8%
6. Haiti: (2000)………………………………....….16.1%
7. Sierra Leone: (1996)…………………….…..16.1%
8. Nigeria: (2000)……………………………...….13.8%
9. New Zealand: (2001)………………………...13.4%
10.Australia: (2004)……………………………....13.3%

Haiti and Sierra Leone both present a figure of 16.1%, but since Haiti’s statistics is more recent they top Sierra Leone.

Close but no cigar-countries are USA (12.6%), Morocco (11.8%) and Spain (11.6%). Amazingly, Jamaica scores only 10.7% and is outdone by nations such as the Czech republic (10.9%) and Great Britain (10.8%). Although, recent figures from the European Union shows that France is on the move and has taken first place in Europe since 2005.

To conclude, this statistic shows that life is sweet in the tropics, and that Canadians may be predominantely white in the skin, but black in their souls (lol).
There are more statistics to extract from this rather dreary read. If more is wanted, more will be provided. Anyone feel free to post any statistics on consumption, production, export/import of our favourite plant in this thread.

Papua New Guinea locals. Do they keep their stash in the penis gourds?

 

[Guest]

lol

...so where do they make this stuff up?

and how?

... last I heard the good people of Denmark and Great Britain were smoking their own weight in bud every two minutes or something

oh and by the way according to the CBI, people sleeping is costing the UK £37 billion ever year, or around 54% of its GDP
and I mean that really is a staggering statistic when you think about it, just terrible


Namkha

 

[Rosy Cheeks]

The world’s top-10 of lowest Cannabis consumer countries (same type of statistics in the reverse order):


1.Singapore: (2004)……………………………….0.004%
2.China (Hong Kong SAR): (2004)………….0.02%
3.Brunei: (1996)…………………………..………..0.02%
4.Libya: (1998)………………………………..…….0.05%
5.Japan: (2002)……………………………..……..0.1%
6.Oman: (1999)…………………………….……….0.1%
7.Vanuatu: (1997)……………………………..…..0.1%
8.Qatar: (1996)……………………………….…….0.1%
9.Tanzania: (1999)………………………….……..0.2%
10.Fiji: (1996)……………………………….……….0.2%


Do not take these statistics too seriously, since many of these countries are governed by totalitarian regimes that put political ideology before truth. Some low-scoring countries such as Vietnam (0.3%) or Laos (0.7%) have a widespread Cannabis culture, their regimes simply do not want to admit it, and are of course doing what they can to suppress it.

Singapore - not the place to be to score weed?

 

[Guest]

I'm not sure about the government in Laos doing what they can to supress cannabis, or at least not when I was last there

from what I hear Mainland China (as opp. Hong Kong) is not that tough a place to buy (Uighurs)
likewise Taiwan it is easy enough to come by (Rock On the R.O.C. lol)

 

[Guest]

Perhaps the countries with 'totalitarian regimes' reporting the lowest (somewhat unbelievable) figures are also countries receiving heavy contributions (per capita) from the U.S. and the U.N. in 'foreign aid.'

Both of those entities like to believe that tougher laws create fewer violations; though I note that countries in S.E. Asia haven't run out of drug users/possessors/smugglers to execute.

And you wouldn't wanna' report anything that might cast your friend's check book into question..


moose eater

 

[Guest]

sounds likely to me

according to a recent report in the UK by the "Advisory Council for the Misuse of Drugs", around 20 - 25% of 15 year olds use drugs every month, mostly cannabis

they said thar information programmes in schools were having almost no effect
on drug use and could even be counter-productive.

"In some cases it may make kids more aware of drugs and may actually excite their interest in drugs which they might not otherwise have had," ACMD Chairman Lawrence Gruer told BBC radio.

lol

what you mean weed mushrooms etc. actually sound pretty good if you tell the truth?

now who'd have thought it?

lol

 

[Guest]

>>>"In some cases it may make kids more aware of drugs and may actually excite their interest in drugs which they might not otherwise have had," ACMD Chairman Lawrence Gruer told BBC radio.<<<

There's numerous research projects, both recent and otherwise, to support this.

It was 'Officer Friendly' in 1971 who came to us with his 300 samples of various drugs glued into place in his tri-fold briefcase display, with a line of bs a mile long for each sample, including denatured marijuana incense ("so we'd know what we were smelling, and stay away from it when we encountered it." ;^>) ) who sent many of us strolling from that class room in search of 'the better way.'

Bali has relatively stiff penalties for cannabis as well. By all appearances, it seems difficult to score. Until you get in with locals, and then it's both available and cheap. Though the quality is similar to Mexican varieties of days gone by.

moose eater

 

[Laxpunker]

Yes, there are still countries where posssesion is punishable by stict corporal punishment.

 

[Tarkus]

Canadians may be predominantely white in the skin, but black in their souls (lol).

What exactly is this supposed to mean?
Interesting statistics though.

 

[Rosy Cheeks]

What exactly is this supposed to mean?

Just a confusing aphorism on how much I dig Canadians. Black is beautiful, no?

Here's some more statisitcs on European countries from the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drugs Addiction (EMCDDA), and as the title says; Lifetime prevalence of cannabis among all adults (15 to 64 years old), young adults (15 to 34 years old) and for the 15 to 24 years old age group:

http://stats05.emcdda.europa.eu/en/elements/gpsfig11-en.html

This is a fun graph because you see the differences in Cannabis use between age groups in different countries.
While in most countries, adolescents and young adults do most of the toking, in Greece, oldtimers keep up with the untamed youth.
Note that some interesting European countries such as Switzerland have been left out.

In spite that there are several statstics out there that often arrive at slightly different results, a major trend can be designated about European countries:
Heavy users in all statistics are Spain, UK, France and the Czech Republic.
Often noted as heavy user countries are Germany and Denmark.
The Netherlands is traditionally "friendly" to Cannabis and the hub in European Cannabis culture, still they never appear in the upper crust of heavy user countries.
France has one of the strictest drug policies in the European Union, still it is continuously among the heaviest Cannabis users, and also the country in which Cannabis use increases the most, together with the Czech republic.