200 Million People Use Illicit Drugs

By Hum
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Grand Master

Hum

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Roughly 200 million people worldwide use illicit drugs such as marijuana, amphetamines, cocaine and opioids each year, according to a new study. The figure represents about one in 20 people between the ages of 15 and 64.

Using a review of published studies, Australian researchers estimated that as many as 203 million people use marijuana, 56 million people use amphetamines including meth, 21 million people use cocaine and 21 million people use opioids like heroin. The use of all four drug classes was highest in developed countries.

"Intelligent policy responses to drug problems need better data for the prevalence of different types of illicit drug use and the harms that their use causes globally," reads the report, published today in The Lancet. "This need is especially urgent in high-income countries with substantial rates of illicit drug use and in low-income and middle-income countries close to illicit drug production areas."

The 200 million number does not include people who use ecstasy, hallucinogenic drugs, inhalants, benzodiazepines or anabolic steroids - just one reason it's likely a vast underestimate of illicit drug use, according to lead author Louisa Degenhardt of the Sydney-based National Drug and Alcohol Research Center.

"Drug use is often hidden, particularly when people fear the consequences of being discovered for using drugs, such as being imprisoned," Degenhardt said in a press conference.

Up to 39 million people are considered "problematic" or dependent drug users and up to 21 million people inject drugs, according to the report.

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Grand Master

Japlabot

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Sad really, they are just a burden to sociality.

In before DRUGS SHOULD BE LEGAL bull****.

Yes, they are a burden to society, but making drugs illegal does not fix this problem. From a practical point of view, it should be treated as a medical condition no different to Alcoholism, where support can be put in place to help people overcome their addiction rather than create a stigma that prevents people from getting assistance.

Legalising drugs would also resolve issues surrounding it's distribution on the black market, the current model leads to a lot of other crimes, particularly murder (where innocent people are victims), and legalisation would allow authorities to focus their resources on more serious issues like arms smuggling/terrorism and child exploitation/child porn

My personal opinion is that it should be handled similar to prescription drugs. Users or potential users would be required to get a prescription from a physician, the physician will have a directive that this type of drug needs to be prescribed upon request and with confidentiality, this way at least the physician would have a chance to talk to the patient(user/potential user) about the potential risks and help them with a treatment plan if the patient wants treatment.

Hopefully first time users would be discouraged to use it, by getting the facts given to them first rather than having a pusher get them started if they want to be "cool".

A perception would need to be taken to the Drug Store like any other medication, the drugs are sold at a known measurable quality and at a fixed price lower than the street value prior to legalisation, and best of all, the government get to keep 100% of the profits to put towards the various national debts of the respective country.

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Twiddle

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And if this was not just illicit drugs, imagine the number with alcohol over-consumption on the list..

A lot of people have a vice, I say legalize it, tax it, control it, yadda yadda. Countries need more moneys. :blush:

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Grand Master

Dashel

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That number is way, way, too low. If not I'd cry for humanity for being such squares.

**** you pious ****heads. The majority of drug users, illegal or not, are perfectly capable of being 'productive' and functioning members of society. Don't let me disturb your authoritarian brain washing though...

You can sincerely take that alcoholism/addiction is a disease nonsense and frak off as well.

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Grand Master

Japlabot

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**** you pious ****heads. The majority of drug users, illegal or not, are perfectly capable of being 'productive' and functioning members of society. Don't let me disturb your authoritarian brain washing though...

Well with this kind of language/attitude, you don't sound very a productive/functioning member of society.

You can sincerely take that alcoholism/addiction is a disease nonsense and frak off as well.

It doesn't have to be a disease to be a medical condition. Not all drug users have an addiction problem, but some do. I would say that it is a problem when the addiction gets in the way of being a productive/functioning member of society.

For example, if you are stealing car stereos to fund your drug habit, I would consider that you have a problem, because stealing car stereos is not productive behaviour, or what a functioning member of society would do.

If you have a problem of this type, obviously the problem needs to be fixed so you don't do these things anymore.

Which do you think would be more effective to fix the problem?

(A) Hard jail time.

(B) A mental health programme to support your withdrawal from drugs which are causing you to have a problem.

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Grand Master

Nick H. Supervisor

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There's not really a way to argue this.

For me, I find it bizarre that alcohol and tobacco are legal despite the problems that they cause, and certain lower-classed drugs are illegal while people are still able to be perfectly functional members of society despite using them.

I'm not advocating a complete pro-drug stance, but I do think that we need to redefine what is classed as legal and illegal.

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Joey S

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Sad really, they are just a burden to sociality.

And alcohol, tobacco, and big pharma drugs aren't?

In before DRUGS SHOULD BE LEGAL bull****.

Don't you think it's hypocritical that the pharmaceutical industry can profit off of selling the active ingredient of pot, yet if we grow it ourselves at home, it's illegal?

I think the state should not be allowed to interfere with personal preferences such as drugs. It only leads to big pharma dictating which drugs can and can't be allowed. If someone wants to grow and smoke their own weed, go for it I say.

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Joey S

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You need to get to the root cause of why people use illegal drugs in the first place. ;)

Why do people drink alcohol, smoke tobacco, or take vicodin? What makes a drug legal or illegal is quite arbitrary; often at the behest of big pharma.

For instance, the UK (well great britain), fought a war with china so it could peddle opium to the chinese people. The whole idea of criminalising drugs is ludicrous. We've been eating magic mushrooms (shrooms) and tripping since the stone age.

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Grand Master

AJerman

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Yeah, that number is way off, especially if you're including marajuana usage that a LOT more people use than you think. But that's not even a drug, just get's lumped in. For the rest, I'd believe the number.

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Joey S

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I'm gonna call BS on this report.

6 billion people or 7 on earth.. and only 200 - 300 million use illicit drugs?

They aren't even counting solvents etc. I'm willing to bet 1/3 to 1/2 the people on the planet use drugs arbitrarily labelled as illegal.

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