One of the negative effects of globalization is that it has contributed to the conditions for an illegal drug trade, which is why we, at Insider Monkey, decided to analyze this matter by offering you a list of 17 most drug addicted countries in the world in 2017.
Most of us are aware of the negative effects drug abuse has on individuals who experience the pitfalls of drug addiction. Drug abuse interferes with all the aspects of an individual’s life, creating an impediment for them to lead a normal life. However, more often than not, we forget about the repercussions drug abuse has on the society as a whole. Drug addiction creates an environment where crime flourishes, as the state of a mind of a drug addict urges them to resort to virtually any means in order to supply their lifestyle. Furthermore, it has been shown that more than 50 % of the cases of child abuse is perpetrated by parents who are battling substance addiction. I doubt there is a need to elaborate on how drug addiction has negative effects on public health. Globalization as the flow of people, ideas, and goods, has also contributed to an easier flow of drugs. Recognizing that this has become a rising issue, we thought it would be useful to offer our readers an insight into the matter by creating the list of 17 most drug addicted countries in the world in 2017. We already wrote about drug addiction in our article The 11 Most Drug Addicted Countries in the World. Since the context has changed in two years, we are offering you an updated version of the article published two years ago.
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In our article on countries that produce the most illegal drugs in the world, we established that Afghanistan, Colombia, Mexico, Peru, and Morocco are some of the top drug trafficking countries in the world. They are suppliers of different drugs for the world market. Morocco is known as the biggest producer of cannabis, Colombia is the largest cocaine producer, while no other country in the world could come close to Afghanistan when it comes to opium production. As the data from two years ago suggests, the country with biggest drug problems was the United Kingdom. It was followed by Iran, Scotland, France, and Slovakia on the list of the most addicted countries in the world. The report published by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime indicates that, if we consider cocaine consumption in 2016, the top 5 most drug addicted cities in Europe were Antwerp (Belgium), London (UK), Zurich (Switzerland), Barcelona (Spain), and Amsterdam (Netherlands). On the other side of the world, the picture is not much different. Asian countries are also trying to get a grip on drug abuse. As BBC notes, Punjab is on its way to becoming the most drug addicted city in India. There is a drugs epidemic in this city that appears to be too much for authorities to handle. If you want to know more about drug-related problems at the global level, be sure to check out 17 Countries with the Biggest Drug Problems in the World we wrote recently.
Unfortunately, there is no data available that would point to some of the least drug addicted countries. There is no questioning that, having in mind the negative effects drug consumption can have on society, it is at every country’s best interest to become the most drug free country in the world. If we consider the statistical data on the number of deaths caused by drug overdose as the indicator of drug addiction in a particular country, Timor-Leste, Sierra Leone, Qatar, Oman, and Maldives are some of the most drug free countries in the world.
When creating the list of most drug addicted countries in the world in 2017, I used the data provided in the 2017 report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. I also used the data on drug use published in 2017 Global Drug Survey report. I should note that the results are made of participant responses. Furthermore, I used the ranking of countries based on death rate per 100.000 people, where the major cause of death is drug use.
These provided enough material for me to paint the global picture of drug use and rank the 17 most drug addicted countries in the world in 2017.
