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Greenbud

UN Report: Cannabis Users Increasing
novinite.com | June 2004, Saturday

The spread of narcotics abuse appears to be slowing, but the world's favorite drug, cannabis, is attracting more users, the United Nations reported.

In its annual World Drug Report, the United Nations estimated 185 million people around the world - about 3 percent of the global population - used drugs at least once during the 12 months before the survey was conducted.

"The spread of drug abuse may be losing momentum," said the report, issued in Moscow to coincide with a visit by the head of the UN drug watchdog.

"There is a notable exception however: consumption of cannabis ... appears to be spreading at an accelerated pace."

Better border monitoring might have helped reduce the spread of narcotics. The World Customs Organization said in Brussels the amount of illegal drugs stopped by customs officers rose by nearly 15 percent from 2002 to 2003, with seizures of cocaine and ecstasy hitting record levels.

It said more than 7 tons of heroin were seized in 2003 and 355 ton of cannabis resin, the highest quantity for three years. Only 74 tons of herbal cannabis was seized, the lowest in three years.

"2003 was a record year for cocaine seizures by customs, peaking at 64 tons worldwide," the Brussels-based group said in a report released to coincide with an annual meeting.

"This equates to a 35 percent increase over 2002. Almost 87 percent of the cocaine seizures reported were made in Western Europe," it added.

The report said cocaine use in North America had stabilized.

"The annual prevalence of cocaine use in the USA was 2.5 percent of the population aged 12 and above in 2002," the report said.

About 150 million people use cannabis, which according to the WCO originates mostly from Morocco. Many countries have considered making it legally available for medicinal purposes.

Antonio Maria Costa, executive director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, said the drop in heroin and cocaine use was encouraging, but warned cannabis was still a dangerous drug.

"Some people call it a soft drug - I think this is very, very wrong," he told a conference on the eve of the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking.

"But still, it is not the killer - the killer is, of course, heroin."

There are 9 million heroin users in a world market heavily dependent on Afghanistan, which produces three-quarters of the world's illegal opium.

"The fate of the world heroin market will largely depend on what happens in that country," the report said.

It added opium poppy cultivation dropped 6 percent in 2003, equivalent to a potential heroin production of 480 tons. Cultivation was 40 percent lower than in the early 1990s.

Heroin abuse is declining in Western Europe and the number of drug-related deaths - mostly associated with heroin - fell by 20 percent from 2000 to 2002. Europe's biggest heroin market is Russia, with about a million users.

Costa said there were about 250,000 drug-related deaths a year worldwide, compared with 5 million tobacco-related and 2.5 million attributable to alcohol.

The report put the number of cocaine users worldwide at 13 million. Costa said production, which tumbled 11 percent from 2002 and 2003, was at its lowest level since 1989.

__________________
"I believe in the near future, the government will use anti-drug hysteria to set up a police state."
-author William S. Burroughs, 1947

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cassiusclay

"Some people call it a soft drug - I think this is very, very wrong,"

Well I think you are very, very, very, very, very, very, mis-informed.

StewScum

He never goes on to say why it is "very, very wrong" but he starts talking about herion and opiates. Hmm, does this old arguement ring a bell? He is back in the days when marijuana was a direct associate with H use, and he is continuing this arguement that has already been disproven a dozen times. The old dog needs to know some new tricks.

__________________
Life is like a pot of stew, if you don't stir it up every once and a while, all the scum rises to the top -Still Life with Woodpecker by Tom Robbins.

Hiz Highness

Reagan once said he thought marijuana was the most dangerous drug in America . . . which leads me to believe he didn't try too many drugs. It would have been fun to sit him down in front of a joint, a crack rock, and a needle full of heroin and demand that he tried one.

I wonder which one he would have reached for . . . which one did he consider least dangerous?

-HH

sharpdog18

Costa said there were about 250,000 drug-related deaths a year worldwide, compared with 5 million tobacco-related and 2.5 million attributable to alcohol.


Well now that means that if you combine all deaths together that drug-related death only account for 3% now this is all "drugs"

How many of those deaths were actually releated to our beloved plant. Come on now serious it is legal to drink and to smoke tobacco and it is illegal to have pot.

Man pot it is a serious killer of human lives. lol lol lol lol lol

When are all these people going to figure out that pot is not the problem.

Praying for there poor souls that maybe they will see the light and enjoy a nice toke.

 

Greenbud

I remember reading somewhere one time that both Reagans puffed on a joint at a dinner party back when he was governor. The witness who wrote about this said that they did it to see what all of the "fuss" was about. They both claimed it didn't do anything for them and they couldn't understand what was so great about it, but that they did get more talkative and giggly afterwards.

Actually, I think it was in an unauthorized biography of either Ron or Nancy. I can't remember...

diane mcmillian

i have smoked marijuana since i was 14 years old, im fixing to be 40 and i know that mary will be with me till the day i die ! mary calms my nerves like no other medicine can, it helps me in so very many ways. there aint no body gonna tell me to stop because i wont !