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In 2023, it was estimated that around ***** people worldwide consumed illegal drugs such as cannabis, opioids, and cocaine. Furthermore, around **** people were thought to be problem drug users or to have a drug use disorder. Although drug use varies from country to country, drug use remains a significant problem in many parts of the world. For example, the United States is currently experiencing an opioid epidemic, with drug overdose deaths reaching record levels over the past few years.

What is the most used illicit drug worldwide?

The most used illicit drug worldwide is cannabis, followed by opioids, and amphetamines. High estimates suggest that around *** percent of the global population consumed cannabis as of 2021. In comparison, aroundÌý*** percent of people were thought to have consumed opioids in the same year, and less than *** percent were estimated to have used amphetamines. Drug use is generally more prevalent among men than women, but this distribution varies by drug. For example, around **Ìýpercent of cocaine users worldwide are men and **Ìýpercent are women, but women account for ** percent of ecstasy-like substance users.Ìý

Cannabis uses

In 2021, it was estimated that around ***** people worldwide consumed cannabis at least once in the previous year. The highest number of past year cannabis users at that time was found in the Americas. This may be unsurprising since Canada and many U.S. states now allow the sale and use of recreational cannabis. The market for recreational cannabis is substantial in both countries. In the United States, sales of recreational cannabis is set to reach **Ìý** U.S. dollars by 2030. In 2025, there were thought to be over ***Ìýmillion adult consumers of cannabis in the United States.