Global Drug Survey 2017: Which is the most popular drug worldwide. The Irish and the Scottish, the biggest consumers of ecstasy

Cannabis, cocaine and MDMA (ecstasy) are the most consumed drugs worldwide, according to the „Global Drug Survey 2017” report. On the other hand, hallucinogenic mushrooms cause the fewest cases in which consumers end up needing emergency medical care.

79,3% of the participants at the aforementioned study confessed they consumed at least once illegal drugs, while the proportion of those that consumed illegal drugs in the past 12 months (previous to the survey) was of 65,1%.

Regarding the consumption of legal drugs, 99,7% say they used such drugs at least once during their lifetime, with 97,7% declaring to have consumed such drugs in the past 12 months.

On the other hand, the percentage of those that consumed only legal drugs in the past 12 months is of 33,8%. At the same time, 23,% claim to have injected drugs at least once, with only 0,8% having done it in the past year.

Marijuana, the most “popular”drug

On a worldwide level, the prevalence of marijuana/cannabis consumption (at least once) is of 77,8%. These drugs are followed by MDMA (all types) – 33,5%, cocaine – 29,5%, hallucinogenic mushrooms – 24,4%, amphetamine (all types) – 22,0% and LSD – 22,2%.

At the opposite end, the lowest prevalence is found at heroine consumption – 2,4%, Argyreia nervosa seeds (”baby hawaiian”) and mephedrone (1,9%).

Still, last year these proportions were slightly lower: the prevalence of marijuana consumption was of 60%, cocaine had 19,1% and MDMA had 19%.

In a distinct section, the survey takes into consideration, besides hallucinogenic substances and alcohol, tobacco and coffee. In this case, the consumption of alcohol goes first, ahead of cannabis, and tobacco goes ahead of cocaine.

21% of American marijuana consumers start their day with a ”joint”

Nearly 23% of respondents declared that in the past year they consumed marijuana in 2-10 days, 20,7% declared they consumed marijuana in 11-50 days, while 18,9% declared they consumed marijuana in over 300 days.Over 21% of marijuana consumers in the USA declared they smoke a ”joint” in the first five minutes/hour since waking up. They are followed by consumers in Mexico (18,4%) and Greece (15,9%).

The fewest positive answers came from those in Germany (6,3%), Iceland (4,8%) and The Netherlands (3,6%).

As far as the consumption of cannabis mixed with tobacco is concerned, the Italians, Greeks and Hungarians come first. At the opposite end, the fewest consumers with this habit are located in Argentina, Mexico and the USA.

The Irish, the biggest consumers of ecstasy

Regarding the average number of days in which they consumed ecstasy, the largest numbers are found in Ireland (14,8), Scotland (14,5) and Great Britain (11,8).

The top 10 is filed by Colombia, Belgium, Hungary, Argentina, France, Portugal and Brazil. On the other hand, the lowest averages are found in the USA (6,2), Sweden (5,6) and Finland (5,5). What it is concerning is that, on a global level, only one in ten MDMA consumers checks the purity of the drug before consuming it.

Cocaine continues to be popular, especially among those with good financial status, as it is one of the most expensive drugs, according to the cited report. Its price varies from around 10 Euros/gram in South America, to 50 Euros/gram in certain European countries or even 250 Euros/gram in Australia.

Over 53% of cocaine consumers declared that in the past 12 months they took this drug in 2 – 10 days, while 22,6% did this in 11-50 days, and 18,4% did this in a single day.

The highest average in this situation (the number of days in the past year in which consumers had cocaine) is found in Brazil, Italy, Colombia, Switzerland and Canada. On the other hand, the lowest average is found in Norway, Poland, New Zealand, Finland and Sweden.

Most consumers (49,2%) declared having bought cocaine from a dealer they met, 34,4% – from a friend, and 11,6% – from an unknown dealer.

According to the survey, over 60% of cocaine consumers in Colombia say that the following year they want to consume less drugs, but less than 20% of them say are going to ask for help in this regard.

58,6% of Brazilian consumers, and 55,7% of Canadian consumers want to consume less cocaine. The percentage drops to 23,5% in Sweden, 22,8% in New Zealand and 17,5% in Finland.

90% tried psychedelic drugs out of curiosity

The average age at which LSD consumers first took these drugs is of 20 years old. Overall, 37,8% consumed LSD for the first time aged between 17 and 19, 30,5% – aged between 20 and 24, 16,7% – aged between 14 and 16, and 9,9% – at ages between 25 and 29 years old.

Regarding the motivation for trying out psychedelic drugs, over 91% claim to have done it out of curiosity, 86,5% – for developing their mind, 84,3% – for learning more about themselves, 75,9% – for a deeper understanding of the world, and 72,3% – in order to have an unusual experience.

Methamphetamine, synthetic cannabis and ecstasy were the leading drugs that prompted consumers to hospitals. The fewest cases were recorded in cannabis and hallucinogenic mushrooms consumption, according to the cited study.