Commonly Abused Drugs In America
Are you aware that the United States has some pretty tough anti-drug laws in the world? Despite this, the country also has the greatest number of illegal drug users in the world.
This sad news comes from the World Health Organization (WHO) that studied legal and illegal drug use in 17 countries. The survey focused on the Netherlands and other nations with less stringent drug laws. More than 54,000 adults were consulted in the Americas (Colombia, Mexico, and the United States), Europe (Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Ukraine), the Middle East and Africa (Israel, Lebanon, Nigeria, South Africa), Asia, (Japan, China) and Oceania (New Zealand).
The subjects were asked about legalized drug use (like alcohol and tobacco) and illegal drug use (such as cocaine and marijuana) in their lives. Of the people interviewed, the WHO revealed that Americans have the greatest level of cocaine and marijuana use. It added that Americans were four times more likely to report cocaine use in their lives and they also had the highest rate of marijuana use compared to their New Zealand neighbors. In contrast, the Netherlands, which is known for more liberal drug laws, had fewer cocaine and marijuana users.
Many people think cocaine use is down and no longer a threat but they’re wrong. While the number of cocaine users in the United States has declined since 1985, it has been picking up again. In 1995 alone, there were 1.5 million American cocaine users with 533,000 first-time users in 1994. At present, there are about two million cocaine addicts. Experts say that nearly half of all drug-related emergency room visits are caused by cocaine.
On the other hand, some 600,000 people are addicted to heroin. While injection remains the most practical and efficient means of getting heroin, snorting or smoking are other options that have increased heroin consumption. A survey made by the Office of National Drug Control Policy revealed that many heroin users are older, long-term drug abusers.
