Survey Assesses Worldwide Cocaine And Cannabis Use

Editor's Choice
Main Category: Alcohol / Addiction / Illegal Drugs
Also Included In: Public Health
Article Date: 01 Jul 2008 - 0:00 PDT

email to a friend   printer friendly   view / write opinions   rate article

In a major survey of 17 countries, it was found that the United States has the highest levels of cocaine and cannabis use. These results, based on the World Health Organization's (WHO) Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI) was released on June 30, 2008 in the open access journal PLoS Medicine.

The CIDI provided information to the team from 54,068 survey participants who were interviewed in person or by telephone using a standardized and structured system for psychiatric conditions and drug use. As part of the survey, the participants were asked if they had ever partaken of alcohol, tobacco, cannabis, or cocaine. The 17 participating countries were determined based on the availability of research collaborators and of funding for the survey to take place, but the list included a wide range of cultures, economic conditions, illicit drug policies, and geography. The team, led by Louisa Degenhardt of the University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia and colleagues, analyzed this data for trends between the countries and different demographic subgroups of people.

They found that in the Americas, Europe, Japan, and New Zealand, alcohol was used by a majority of the participants. This was in comparison to smaller frequencies in the Middle East, Africa, and China. Notably, in the United States, the authors found that 16.2% of people reported using cocaine in their lifetime -- this was much higher than the level of any other country with New Zealand taking second highest with 4.3%. Additionally, cannabis use was highest in the US, with 42.4% followed once again by New Zealand with 41.9% reporting use.

Certain socioeconomic groups displayed trends in drug use as well. For instance, certain groups were more likely to have used all of the specified drugs: males, in comparison to females; younger adults, in comparison to older adults. A higher income was linked to drug use of any kind. Marital status was also correlated with use of tobacco, cannabis, and cocaine, but not alcohol. Namely, those who never married or were previously married were more likely to have used cocaine and cannabis than those currently married. Tobacco use was less common among the never married than among those previously married.

The study had several limitations. These include the limited number of countries, and varying rates of participation within each country. Additionally, it is unclear if people accurately report their drug use when interviewed.

Despite these limitations, the findings represent a comprehensive data set regarding the patterns of drug use representing national samples across the globe. The authors conclude that drug use "does not appear to be simply related to drug policy... since countries with more stringent policies towards illegal drug use did not have lower levels of such drug use than countries with more liberal policies." This is highlighted in a comparison between the Netherlands and the United States: while the former has significantly more liberal policies regarding these drugs, 1.9% of people reported cocaine use while 19.% reported cannabis use.

About PLoS Medicine

PLoS Medicine is an open access, freely available international medical journal. It publishes original research that enhances our understanding of human health and disease, together with commentary and analysis of important global health issues. For more information, visit http://www.plosmedicine.org.

About the Public Library of Science

The Public Library of Science (PLoS) is a non-profit organization of scientists and physicians committed to making the world's scientific and medical literature a freely available public resource. For more information, visit http://www.plos.org.

Toward a global view of alcohol, tobacco, cannabis, and cocaine use: Findings from the WHO World Mental Health Surveys.
Degenhardt L, Chiu W-T, Sampson N, Kessler RC, Anthony JC, et al. (2008)
PLoS Med 5(7): e141.
doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.0050141.
Click Here For Full Length Article

Written by Anna Sophia McKenney
Copyright: Medical News Today
Not to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today