Mid-term election day wrapped Tuesday with a couple of big wins for marijuana. Alaska, Oregon, and Washington, D.C., voted to legalize marijuana. They’ll join Colorado and Washington state which voted yes in 2012.
Twenty-three states and the District of Columbia have now enacted laws to legalize medical marijuana.
Oregon legalizes the personal possession, manufacture, and sale of marijuana for people 21 years of age and older. That’s similar to Washington state and Colorado. Alaska would tax and regulate the production, sale, and use of marijuana, making the use legal for people over 21.
According to a recent Gallop Poll, 51% favor legalizing the use of marijuana—similar to the 50% who supported it in 2011 and 2012, but down from a reading of 58% last year.
In 2016, marijuana ballot initiatives in California, Massachusetts, Maine, Nevada, and Arizona will likely be put to voters.
But even as the “Green Rush” spreads across the country, how does weed consumption in the U.S. stack up against that of other countries?
The United Nations released its annual drug report for 2014. The report, prepared by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, summarizes data on various illegal drugs around the globe, including marijuana.
According to the data, here are the top 10 weed-consuming countries. These numbers are for those that smoke on a consistent basis, not for those who just tried it.
Check out the list on the next page …
10. Jamaica
Use: 9.86% of the population
Status: Illegal, but may soon be decriminalized, according to reports
Population: 2.715 million (2013) Approx
It may be hard for some to swallow, but less than 10% of Jamaicans are constant smokers.
However, just last month the Jamaican Minister of Justice announced the proposal of a new law that would decriminalize the medical and religious use of marijuana.
Cultivation, retail sales, and consumption is illegal. But the law is often overlooked and cannabis is sold openly. The House of Representatives has passed a motion to decriminalize possession of small amounts of the drug. Mark Golding, Jamaica’s justice minister, is also looking to change possession of small amounts of marijuana for recreational purposes to a misdemeanor offense.
Another legislative initiative proposes clearing past minor marijuana convictions from the criminal records of those convicted.
9. Australia
Use: 10.3% of the population
Status: Illegal
population: 23.13 million (2013) Approx
More than 10% of the population down under like to relax by taking a puff or two.
That number rises considerably for those who have tried it once and for occasional smokers. Cannabis is the most widely used illicit drug in Australia.
Although cannabis is illegal in Australia, the country has largely avoided a punitive drug policy.
8. Spain
Use: 10.6% of the population
Status: Legal for personal use. Illegal to produce, sell, or use in public.
Population: 47.27 million (2012) Approx
In Spain weed is legal for personal use and residents are taking full advantage. The Spanish have places called “Cannabis Clubs,†where it is legal to both obtain and consume marijuana. Also, because it is legal to smoke at home in Spain as well, a person can take home the cannabis that they’ve obtained at a club, so long as it is completely concealed as they travel home.
7. Canada
Use: 12.2% of the population
Status: Illegal for recreational use. Legal for medical use
Population: 35.16 million (2013) Approx
It’s not called the
Maple Leaf for nothing; 12% of our northern neighbors like to get down and high on a regular basis. Last year the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police voted in favor of a simple fine for pot possession.The police chief said there could be benefits to decriminalizing marijuana.If it is successfully legalized in Canada, it could be sold and regulated like alcohol.
6. Nigeria
Use: 14.3% of the population
Status: Illegal
Population: 173.6 million (2013) Approx
Inside Africa’s most populous nation which enjoys its biggest economy, nearly 15% of the residents smoke regularly, though the percentage is believed to be much higher.
Weed is illegal here, but in most places you can get away with a slap on the wrist or just a warning. Other times a cash gift to an arresting officer may be all you need to walk away.
Hemp plants grow around the country in abundance.
No plans yet on decriminalizing or legalizing the drug anytime soon.
5. New Zealand
Use: 14.6% of the population
Status: Illegal
Population: 4.471 million (2013) Approx.
Cannabis is regarded as the most widely used illegal drug in New Zealand, and the third most widely used recreational drug after alcohol and nicotine. It is illegal to import, grow, sell, distribute, possess, or use cannabis in New Zealand. Possession of any amount of cannabis is illegal and can result in a fine of up to $500 for possession to a 14-year jail term for its supply or manufacture.
A poll in the New Zealand Herald shows that most New Zealanders want smoking cannabis to be decriminalized or made legal. Just under a third of those polled thought the smoking of cannabis should be fined but not warrant a criminal conviction, while a fifth went further and said it should be legalized;Â 45% said it should remain illegal, and 2.6% said they did not know.
4. Italy
Use: 14.6% of the population
Status: Illegal to produce or sell. Decriminalized for personal possession
Population: 59.83 million (2013) Approx.
Marijuana is illegal here, but is tolerated for personal use. So as long as you smoke in the privacy of your home and are discreet you shouldn’t have too many problems.
Possession of small amounts for personal use is a misdemeanor subject to fines and the suspension of documents like passports or driver’s licenses. The sale of cannabis products is illegal and punishable by imprisonment; as is cultivation, even in small amounts for exclusively personal use.
Licensed cultivation for medical and industrial use is strictly regulated.
3. United States
Use: 14.8% of the population
Status: Legal in 23 states and the District of Columbia for medical use. Legal in Colorado and Washington state for recreational use.
Population: 316.1 million (2013) Approx.
Marijuana is illegal on the federal level, but more than 20 states and the nation’s capital have voted in various forms to either decriminalize or legalize the sale of the drug, in some instances; and also its private, medical consumption.
More states across the country are expected to pass sweeping marijuana legislation when the issue is put on the ballot in 2016.
2. Zambia
Use: 17.7% of the population
Status: Illegal
Population: 14.54 million (2013) Approx.
Smoking marijuana is illegal in Zambia and therefore any violation of the law is punishable by appropriate penalties.
Though smoking and growing marijuana is illegal here, MarijuanaTravels.com says “a lot of people still smoke weed especially in depressed areas of the country. The laws about marijuana apply to the entire country so it is best to be careful. The laws are tough but implementation is a bit lax however especially for locals.”
The Journal also notes, “The police do not seem to care much about the use of marijuana among people. Though it is illegal, the police are strict especially with those below 18 years old. As a tourist however, you should be careful because you are in a different country. The police see tourists smoking marijuana differently compared to locals so you better respect this matter and avoid getting caught. Zambia is a depressed African country so you end up paying for your freedom in some instances.”
1. Iceland
Use: 18.3% of the population
Status: Illegal
Population: 323,002 (2013) Approx
When it comes to smoking weed, all other countries pale in comparison to Iceland. The country is home to the world’s largest per capita population of cannabis users, according to the 2014Â World Drug Report.
Fifty-five thousand members of the population of Iceland—about 320,000—puff. That’s a stunning 18.3%.
As in most European countries, marijuana is illegal but tolerated. Possessing a small amount or smoking in public results in a fine. Repeat offenders can be given jail time, but smoking weed is socially accepted.