Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Europe's Cannabis Usage and Drug Decriminalization

The Economist gives us a perspective on the state of Cannabis usage in Europe.


According to the Economist, ``OVER a fifth of Europeans have taken cannabis at some point in their lives, according to new report on illegal drug use from the EMCDDA, the EU's drug-monitoring arm. Over 30% of Danes, French and Italians aged between 15 and 64 have puffed on a joint. But perhaps for Danes it is just a phase: the Italians, Spanish, French and Czechs are most likely to have dabbled with cannabis in the recent past. Levels of cannabis use are still high but may be declining, says the report. Recent studies suggest that the drug's popularity is waning among the younger generation."

While it is good news to know that Cannabis usage have generally been declining especially among the younger generation, what seems noteworthy is that both Netherlands and Portugal, which has partly decriminalized drug use, is shown to have relatively low instance of usage. This defies common objections where legalization would lead to a drug use explosion.

See our earlier related posts:
Drug Decriminalization: Regulation Versus Prohibition,
Drug Decriminalization Caravan Gets Rollin',
War on Drugs: Learning From Portugal's Drug Decriminalization

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