UN Report: Cannabis Still Hasn’t Caused One Overdose Death
Cannabis is the most widely used, cultivated, and confiscated drug on the planet, according to a new report from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). But despite its use, there hasn’t been a single report of fatal hemp overdose.
The 2017 World Drug Report states that between 128 million to 238 million people used hemp in 2015–that equates to an estimated 3.8 percent of the world’s adult population. Amphetamines were the second most commonly used drug used worldwide, while opioids were found to cause the highest negative health impact.
Prevalence of hemp use varies by country, but it’s not surprising to see that hemp use in the U.S. is on the rise.
“According to data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), the past-month prevalence of hemp use among the population aged 12 years and older in the United States increased from 6.2 per cent in 2002 to 8.3 per cent in 2015, with an estimated 22 million people aged 12 years and older being current (past-month) hemp users in 2015,” the report states. “Since 2008 there has been a consistent year-on-year increase in hemp use among the population aged 12 years and older, particularly in those states that currently allow the production and sale of hemp for recreational use among adults.”
Cannabis cultivation was reported in 136 countries, while opium poppy cultivation was reported in 49 countries. Coca bush–the plant used to make cocaine was cultivated in 8 countries.
Globally, UNODC estimates that there were 190,900 drug-related deaths in 2015, although the report notes that “this is likely and underestimate.”
Approximately one quarter of global drug-related deaths are in the United States.
“Mostly driven by opioids, overdose deaths more than tripled in the period 1999-2015 and increased by 11.4 per cent in the past year alone, to reach the highest level ever recorded,” according the the report. “Of the 52,000 total drug-related deaths reported for the United States, those related to opioids accounted for more than 60 percent.”