Australia tops UN report into drug use

Australia has topped the United Nation's 2014 World Drug Report with a higher proportion of people getting high than anywhere else in the world. 

We had the highest recorded drug use in the world for ecstasy, second for prescribed or black market opioids such as codeine and morphine, third for methamphetamines, fourth for cocaine and seventh for cannabis use. 

Worryingly, use is set to increase in all categories save for ecstasy use.

Expert opinion points to an increase in the consumption of cannabis, cocaine, hallucinogens and solvents and inhalants but a decline in the use of ecstasy," the report states. "There is a wide range of drug analogues and new psychoactive substances currently available in the Australian illicit drug market."

"Heroin seizures also increased substantially in Australia and New Zealand (1.09 tons in 2012 compared with 0.61 tons in 2011)."

Also of concern is a sharp rise in drug-related deaths with Australian Drug Law Reform Foundation president, Dr Alex Wodak, telling The Daily Telegraph overdoses were "rising fast". 

"They’ve been rising steadily for some years,’’ Dr Wodak said. "There is certainly greater demand for drugs and that is likely because of economic and social conditions. People on one hand have more money to spend and on the other there are more people who are at risk.

"Those that are at risk are getting worse because of high unemployment, poor job prospects, lack of optimism."

More than three people die each day from drug overdoses with the bulk of the victims made up of female opioid pill users. 

Source: UN Drug Report 2014, The Daily Telegraph