Sydney Morning Herald: January 6, 2012

Research published in medical journal, The Lancet, has found that “cannabis is the world’s most popular illicit drug – and Australia and New Zealand top the list of users.” According to the research, “an estimated 10 to 15 per cent of people aged between 15 and 64 smoked the drug” in Australia and New Zealand in the year preceding the study. Asia reported the lowest rate of cannabis use, with only 1.2 to 2.5 per cent of people having used the drug in the same time period. Professor Wayne Hall, report co-author said of the findings, “Cannabis was far and away the most widely used illicit drug globally, but heroin and other opiates cause the most harm, followed by amphetamine-type stimulants and cocaine.” The research found that “worldwide, between 121 and 191 million people were estimated to be cannabis users in 2008.”