International drugs: Growing marijuana users
Karen Belanger
- 18 January 2022
Quest Diagnostics Employer Solutions Blog | Pablo Bolaños
In the song made famous by the late recording artist Tom Petty, the storyteller compares marijuana use to romance, as he longs for a “Last dance with Mary Jane, one more time to kill the pain.” These lyrics echo the romanticized sentiment that many people still have today. Marijuana remains the most-used illicit substance in the US. Popular opinion about its low risks help to spread misinformation, myths, and drive the narrative that marijuana is safe.
According to the latest findings from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) World Drug Report, there are an estimated 188 million global users of cannabis, that is an equivalent of nearly 4% of the global population.