Jonstn Posted January 5, 2012 http://www.news.com....r-1226237850580 AUSTRALIANS are among the world's biggest potheads, according to study findings released today.One of three in a series of reports about addiction to be published in The Lancet, the study finds more than 200 million people use illicit drugs globally, with those in wealthier countries most likely to do so, The Advertiser reported. It says the Oceania region, which includes Australia and New Zealand, has the highest use of cannabis in the world, as many as 14.8 per cent of people aged 15 to 64 having used the drug at least once in the previous year. This is more than double the rate in North and South America. Oceania also had the highest use of amphetamines, up to 2.8 per cent, compared with 0.6 per cent in Europe and 1 per cent in the Americas. Study co-author, National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre Professor Louisa Degenhardt, said drug popularity was linked with cost and supply. "We think that, particularly for occasional users, if drug prices go up then their level of use goes down," Prof Degenhardt said. She said in Australia cannabis was readily available and cheap. The three papers also address the global burden of disease, control and interventions and approaches to legislation. In one, the authors find that there has been little research into the effectiveness of drug supply control policies, while interventions need to be tailored for each drug. The third paper, co-authored by University of Melbourne Professor Robin Room, found the treaties that govern drugs laws have done little to prevent drug misuse. "No evidence suggests that illicit drug production or use have lessened, but the system has had many adverse effects on human health and wellbeing," the authors say. It found the reduction in penalties for minor cannabis offences from charges to fines in SA and WA, had not increased its prevalence. The study also found the treaties lacked flexibility and countries who wish to try new approaches must leave the accords. "We need to move towards a system that is more aligned with the risks that different drugs pose and shows an understanding of the effects of different regulatory approaches," the authors say. Read more: http://www.news.com....0#ixzz1iaol96uh Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dionysus Posted January 5, 2012 that first paragraph seems a little weird to me, particularly "with those in wealthier countries most likely to do so". really? i thought people in less wealthy south america made use of drugs often considered illicit (cocaine, mescaline, DMT etc), i thought people in parts of africa did the same (cathinone, ibogaine etc) and they surely could not be put amongst the wealthiest countries. maybe because those countries don't take away their peoples freedom and do not consider these plants 'illicit' means that they do not make the statistics. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Foo Posted January 6, 2012 Page not found We had a good look, but couldn't find the page you requested. Good on you News.com.au Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Chef Posted January 6, 2012 I heard the same thing on the radio this morning, 15% of aussies aparently... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Distracted Posted January 6, 2012 The title of this thread is a bit misleading... the Oceania region, which includes Australia and New Zealand, has the highest use of cannabis in the world Does Papau New Guinea/Palau count as Oceania? Considering they're the top two cannabis smoking countries in the world they'd certainly skew the average. However looking at smoking rates the majority of high numbers does come from pacific islands. According to a 2007 report Australia's rate was at 10.6%. Source: Wikipedia, the redheaded stepchild of encyclopedias. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Foo Posted January 6, 2012 It really depends on were you get yours stats from Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jonstn Posted January 6, 2012 The title of this thread is a bit misleading... i know what youre saying, it was the title of the article so I figured I'd use it that first paragraph seems a little weird to me, particularly "with those in wealthier countries most likely to do so". really? i thought people in less wealthy south america made use of drugs often considered illicit (cocaine, mescaline, DMT etc), i thought people in parts of africa did the same (cathinone, ibogaine etc) and they surely could not be put amongst the wealthiest countries. maybe because those countries don't take away their peoples freedom and do not consider these plants 'illicit' means that they do not make the statistics. Yeah mate once i read "the advertiser reported" everything slid into place haha they're all a bunch of dungas. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bush Turkey Posted January 6, 2012 (edited) man this subject is causing some crap on the perth now fb page. Some girl really thinks alcohol is better for you then MJ otherwise alcohol would be banned some people!!! EDIT: well spotted distracted so these numbers mean nothing for Australia Edited January 6, 2012 by Bush Turkey 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dundee Posted January 7, 2012 lmao....and probably beer too Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
