Pubdate: Thu, 29 Aug 2013
Source: Texarkana Gazette (TX)
Copyright: 2013 Texarkana Gazette
Contact:  http://www.texarkanagazette.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/976
Author: Maria Cheng, The Associated Press
Page: 8B

STUDY: MARIJUANA IS TOP ILLEGAL DRUG USED WORLDWIDE

LONDON (AP) - Marijuana is the most popular illegal drug used
worldwide, but addictions to popular painkillers like Vicodin,
Oxycontin and codeine kill the most people, according to the
first-ever global survey of illicit drug abuse.

In addition to cannabis and opioid painkillers, scientists analyzed
abuse of cocaine and amphetamines in 2010, largely based on previous
studies. Ecstasy and hallucinogens weren't included, because there
weren't enough data. The researchers found that for all the drugs
studied, men in their 20s had the highest rates of abuse. The
worst-hit countries were Australia, Britain, Russia and the U.S. The
study was published online Thursday in the journal, Lancet.

But there were few concrete numbers to rely on and researchers used
modeling techniques to come up with their estimates.

"Even if it is not very solid data, we can say definitely that there
are drug problems in most parts of the world," said Theo Vos, of the
Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of
Washington, the study's senior author. Vos said people tended to abuse
drugs produced close to home: cocaine in North America, amphetamines
and opioids in Asia and Australia. The lowest rates of drug abuse were
in Asia and Africa. Of the estimated 78,000 deaths in 2010 because of
illegal drug use, more than half were because of painkiller addictions.

Vos said countries with harsh laws against drugs had worse death rates
for addicts when compared to countries who relied on other policies to
wean people off drugs, such as needle exchange programs and methadone
clinics.
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