A new Australian drug study published in The Lancet on Jan 6 has found that cannabis is the most widely used illicit drug globally, while opioid use is a major cause of death.

Professor Wayne Hall, of The University of Queensland's Centre for Clinical Research, and Professor Louisa Degenhardt from the Burnet Institute, Melbourne, conducted the study which focused on the global prevalence and health burden of illicit drug use.

Cannabis was far and away the most widely used illicit drug globally, but heroin and other opiates caused the most harm, followed by amphetamine-type stimulants and cocaine, Professor Hall said. » More

Survey Shows an Increase in the Rate of Marijuana Use

By Denise Mann, WebMD Health News; Reviewed by Laura J. Martin, MD
The use of illicit drugs and the nonmedical use of prescription medications is increasing, and this is largely driven by an increased rate of marijuana use, a survey shows.

The survey on drug use was released by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).  » More

Story By Laura Markowitz
Adolescence is a stressful time, with hormones, acne and the pressure to fit in. Many parents resign themselves to the fact that their teens will likely experiment with cigarettes, alcohol and marijuana.

But Juanita, a single mother of three, didn’t know what to do when her daughter started using it every day---and growing it in her room. More than 40 percent of teens try pot while they’re still in high school, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA).  » More

By Amy Crawford; TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Teenage marijuana use has risen for the third year in a row, according to results of a nationwide survey released Tuesday. For the first time in the annual survey, titled "Monitoring the Future," more high schoolers reported smoking marijuana than tobacco — a twist that points to changing attitudes toward the country's most popular illegal drug. » More

NIDA's Monitoring the Future Survey shows increases in Ecstasy use and continued high levels of prescription drug abuse.
WASHINGTON -- Fueled by increases in marijuana use, the rate of eighth-graders saying they have used an illicit drug in the past year jumped to 16 percent, up from last year's 14.5 percent, with daily marijuana use up in all grades surveyed, according to the 2010 Monitoring the Future Survey (MTF). » More