Recreational Drug Use Surges Worldwide

he use of recreational drugs rose 30% between 2009 and 2017, according to new data from the United Nations World Drug Report, counting some 271 million people aged 15 to 64 in the study. 

Marijuana is the most popular drug, followed by opioids, amphetamines and cocaine, Bloomberg reports. 

The most popular drug globally continues to be cannabis, with an estimated 188 million people having used it in 2017, according to the study. Cannabis usage is most prevalent in North America, where there are an estimated 56.6 million users, followed by Asia with 54.2 million. -Bloomberg

Meanwhile, the global area under opium poppy cultivation is the second largest ever estimated, after a record high in 2017.

Stoned Israelis, Baked Jamaicans

According to the UN report, one-third of Israeli men aged 15-64 and 28.5% of Jamaican men in the same age range use marijuana at a greater frequency than the other countries studied. American men followed at 21.4%, while Canadians and New Zealanders came in at 19.1% and 18.6% respectively. 

The legalization of cannabis in some North American jurisdictions has contributed to a decline in seizures, which have slumped 77% since 2010, the study said.

Meanwhile, a record 693 tons of opiates was seized worldwide in 2017, a 5% increase from the previous year, as law enforcement efforts and international cooperation curtailed the global distribution of opium. -Bloomberg

Last week a Brazilian Air Force sergeant traveling with President Jair Bolsonaro's entourage to the G20 in Japan was busted with 86 pounds of cocaine.