Toward a Global View of Alcohol, Tobacco, Cannabis, and Cocaine Use: Findings From the W.H.O. World Mental Health Survey
Louisa Degenhardt et al. "Toward a Global View of Alcohol, Tobacco, Cannabis, and Cocaine Use: Findings from the WHO World Mental Health Surveys," PLOS Medicine 5, issue 7 (July 2008).
The U.S. has some of the world's most punitive drug policies and also the world's highest rates of marijuana and cocaine use, according to this World Health Organization survey of 17 countries, conducted by some of the world's leading substance abuse researchers. The Netherlands, where adults are allowed to possess and purchase small amounts of marijuana from regulated businesses, has a marijuana use rate less than half of ours. This study is important because it's the first time a respected international group has surveyed drug use around the world, using the same questions and procedure everywhere. While many countries have their own drug use surveys, the questions and methodology vary, and comparisons between countries are difficult. This new study eliminates that problem.
PLOS Medicine is an online, open-access journal. Free full text is available at http://medicine.plosjournals.org/archive/1549-1676/5/7/pdf/10.1371_journal.pmed.0050141-L.pdf
