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Which Country Consumes The Most Marijuana

Which Country Consumes The Most Marijuana

World

Which Country Consumes The Most Marijuana

It’s probably not all that surprising to hear that marijuana is the most widely used illegal drug in the world. And although cannabis has been criminalized pretty much everywhere, it seems that people around the globe have still found some reason to consume the herb. But where are people consuming the most cannabis? How does your country stack up when it comes to the “greenest” countries in the world?

Global Marijuana Use By Region

The most recent UN World Drug Report broke marijuana use down by region. Here’s how the numbers turned out:

5. Asia

1.9% of people throughout Asia report using cannabis.

4. Europe 

In Europe, a little more than 4% of adults say they consume marijuana.

3. Africa

The number of adults who consume pot increases to 7.5% in Africa.

2. Americas

When you combine North America, Central America, South America, and the Caribbean, 8.4% of all adults use marijuana.

1. Oceania 

The clear leader is Oceania. In Australia, New Zealand, and all the other Pacific islands combined, 10.4% of all adults say they consume ganja.

Global Cannabis Use By Country

To break it down country-by-country, you’ve got to compile a bunch of different studies and stats.

But when you do, here are the top 10 countries that consume the most pot, ranked by percentage of adults who say they use marijuana:

10. United States – 13.7%

So far, four states and Washington, D.C. have legalized cannabis for both medicinal and recreational use. Nineteen other states have legalized some form of medical marijuana.

Vermont could become the next U.S. state to legalize recreational pot if lawmakers pass a bill that’s up for discussion this month.

9. Nigeria – 14.3% 

Although cannabis is illegal in Nigeria, it’s built a reputation as a big-time supplier of cannabis to the black market.

8. New Zealand, Italy, & Andorra – 14.6%

For eighth place, we’ve got a three-way tie between New Zealand, Italy, and the small European “microstate” of Andorra.

Although pot is illegal in Italy, the country recently relaxed some of its laws on cannabis cultivation. Now researchers can grow plants a bit more easily. Some have seen this as a possible move toward more liberal cannabis laws in Italy.

7. Czech Republic – 15.2%

The Czech Republic is known for having fairly lax laws when it comes to cannabis. But it drew some criticism when it began criminalizing drugs more heavily in order to follow international policies.

6. Sierra Leone – 16.1%

Pot is technically illegal in this African country, but using it is pretty fairly tolerated. Many people living in rural parts of the country grow cannabis to help supplement their income.

5. Guam – 18.4%

Guam was the first U.S. territory to legalize medical marijuana. And although recreational pot still isn’t legal in Guam, that apparently isn’t slowing people down as this relatively small island comes in at number five on our list.

4. Ghana – 21.5%

Pot is fairly easy to get your hands on in Ghana, and although it’s technically illegal, it’s usually not enforced too strictly.

3. Northern Mariana Islands – 22.2%

The Northern Mariana Islands are Pacific neighbors of Guam, located roughly in between Japan and Papua New Guinea.

The fact that cannabis is illegal for both medical and recreational uses hasn’t seemed to phase people here. This group of small Pacific islands comes in at third on the list.

2. Palau – 24.2%

Another group of Pacific islands, this one located east of The Philippines, Palau is known for weed that’s both widely available and widely smoked. Almost a full quarter of adults in Palau report using marijuana.

1. Papua New Guinea – 29.5%

And coming in at the number one spot for the country that smokes the most pot in the world is Papua New Guinea. Cannabis is technically illegal in this large island country just north of Australia. Despite that, PNG is known for growing a pretty significant amount of ganja. From the looks of things, it probably takes a lot of herb to satisfy the nearly 30% of adults in PNG who partake.

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