Weed Is The Most Popular Drug In The World, According To New Data

People around the world have a lot of drugs to choose from, but marijuana, far and away, is the world's drug of choice.

According to data compiled by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, cannabis is the most used drug in nearly every country on Earth.*

And although it is the most consumed drug in the world, marijuana is not the most treated drug in the world; that honor goes to opioids.

One country, however, is trying hard to combat its pot problem. New Zealand, according to the data, ranks third in the world for cannabis use, just behind the United States and Iceland.

Pot flows pretty free in New Zealand, however, the government is trying to help those who wish to quit by pumping $120 million into drug treatment programs, or as the research team noted, about $27 per New Zealand citizen.

Cocaine also topped the list of most used drugs for many countries, including Scotland where 3 percent of the adult population admitted to using the drug. Interestingly, Colombia, the largest source of coke, reported most of its drug treatments are for cannabis.

While the US came in second place for its cannabis use, it comes in first for its opioid and prescription opioid use.

The data also showed how many people were incarcerated for drug-related offenses in each country. Again, the US comes in second, only behind Thailand for the percent of prisoners whose main offense relates to the sale or possession of drugs. New Zealand had the highest percentage of people treated for drugs and one of the lowest incarceration rates.

*Note: Alcohol was not measured in this data