According to an Australian study published in July 2008, the United States has the highest levels of illegal use of cocaine and marijuana out of the 17 countries surveyed. This result is surprising to researchers because, of the 17 countries, the U.S. also has some of the harshest legal penalties for illegal use of these drugs.

The study found that approximately 16 percent of people in the U.S. have used cocaine in their lifetime; the next highest rate, in New Zealand, was 4 percent. In addition, approximately 42 percent of Americans have used marijuana in their lifetime, with the next highest rate being 41 percent in New Zealand.

According to the study, drug use "does not appear to be simply related to drug policy," said the authors, "since countries with more stringent policies towards illegal drug use did not have lower levels of such drug use than countries with more liberal policies."(Sources: sciencedaily.com)

Labels: marijuana, cocaine, illegal-drug-use

Posted By: Aspen Education Group