Maps Of Illegal Drug Use Around The World

An estimated 230 million people, or 5 percent of the world’s adult population, used an illegal drug at least once in 2010, according to the United Nations' World Drug Report 2012 released on Wednesday.  

The report found that worldwide illegal drug use has remained generally stable over the last five years, but continues to rise in several developing countries.  

One main conclusion is that the "treatment and rehabilitation of illicit drug users are more effective than punishment" and that "efforts against drug trafficking have to balanced by alternative development programs for farmers while helping drug users to be rehabilitated and reintegrated into society."

Illegal drugs kill around 200,000 people a year, compared with 2.3 million alcohol-related deaths and 5.1 million tobacco deaths, according to the report. 

The U.S. narcotics market is worth about $60 billion annually, according to United Nations estimates

2012 World Drug Report

Cannabis is the most widely used illicit drug with about 119 million and 224 million users worldwide

2012 World Drug Report

It is followed by amphetamine-type stimulants (i.e. "uppers" like Adderall) with about 14 million to 52 million users in 2010

2012 World Drug Report

In the past four years, cocaine use has decreased in the U.S. while increasing in Australia and stabilizing in Europe

2012 World Drug Report

Opium use in North America and Europe is stable or shrinking while Africa and Asia account for 70 percent of global opiate users

2012 World Drug Report

The use of opioids (mainly heroin, morphine and non-medical use of prescription opioids) remains dangerously high

2012 World Drug Report

Cannabis use is decreasing in much of Latin America while increasing sharply in Africa

2012 World Drug Report

There has been an overall decline in global manufacture of cocaine because of a major decline in cocaine manufacture in Colombia in the five-year period from 2006- 2010

2012 World Drug Report

Methamphetamine is a growing problem as seizures doubled from 2008-2010 with large increases in Central America and East Asia

2012 World Drug Report

The European "ecstasy" market seems to be picking up again, with seizures more than doubling from about 1,300 lbs in 2009 to 2600 lbs in 2010

2012 World Drug Report

In North America prescription opioids are used more than heroin, whereas in Europe opiates (heroin and, to a lesser extent, “kompot”) are the main concern

2012 World Drug Report

How they get into the U.S. is another story

STRATFOR

Now check out 16 Maps Of Drug Flow Into The United States >