According to the United Nations, 158.8 million people around the world use marijuana—more than 3.8% of the planet’s population.
- Over 94 million people in the US have admitted using it at least once.
- According to the 2007 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 2.1 million people in the US abused marijuana for the first time that year.
- Among 12- to 17-year-olds, 6.7% were current marijuana users in 2007.
- According to US government estimates, domestic marijuana production has increased tenfold over the last twenty-five years: from 1,000 metric tons (2.2 million pounds) in 1981 to 10,000 metric tons (22 million pounds) in 2006. Not surprisingly, 58% of those aged 12 to 17 state that pot is easy to obtain. US marijuana users spent approximately $10.5 billion on the drug in the year 2000.
- In 2005, 242,200 emergency room visits in the United States involved marijuana.
- According to the US Drug Enforcement Administration, a large percentage of those arrested for crimes test positive for marijuana. Nationwide, 40% of adult males tested positive at the time of their arrest.
- Of adults 26 or older who used marijuana before age 15, 62% went on to use cocaine at some point in their lives; 9% went on to use heroin at least once; and 54% made some nonmedical use of mind-altering prescription drugs.
- Next to alcohol, marijuana is the second most frequently found substance in the bodies of drivers involved in fatal automobile accidents.
