The British based medical journal Lancet has conducted an exhaustive survey and study regarding the worldwide impact of illegal drug use. After careful analysis of all the data obtained, the journal has published a three part series of articles detailing its finding. Among them are statistics showing that a quarter of a million people die every year from using illegal drugs. Also, best estimates from available data show that some two hundred million people worldwide use illegal drugs, which is why there remains such a healthy trade in drug trafficking. The Lancet has undertaken the study to provide information for the medical community the world over and to provide governments and citizens alike an accurate picture of what is going on in the world of illegal drugs; their use and the impact it has.
To arrive at their figures, the research team studied documents provided by a variety of international concerns, such as the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. They also reviewed publications and other documents published by various health agencies throughout the world. Renowned
As a result they write, they can see that the illegal drug that is far and away the most popular worldwide, is cannabis, accounting for roughly half of all illegal drug use in the world. Cannabis also appears to be the most popular illegal drug individually in virtually every country studied, though it’s not actually illegal in some of them.
Next in line of most popular illegal drugs are various forms of amphetamines, followed by cocaine and then opioid users. The amphetamine category includes a number of prescription drugs that are obtained illegally as well as methamphetamine, which is most often created locally. Also, opiod users include both those that abuse opium and heroin.
Interestingly, the team also found that illegal drugs use is far more prevalent in developed countries, due likely to customers having more disposable income and to a more highly developed infrastructure.
In addition to tallying the numbers of drug users and deaths, the team also made estimates regarding the overall health toll that use of illegal drugs takes. Alcohol, for example, is seen as taking years away from a person’s life if they are killed in a car crash, or as a reduction in quality of life if they develop liver disease. Similarly, chemical dependence on opium or heroine is measured in years of substandard existence due to an inability by users to overcome their addiction. Also noted were the prevalence of other diseases often associated with drug use, such as HIV/AIDS among those who share needles.