Subscribe to Print Edition | Sun., July 06, 2008 Tamuz 3, 5768 | | Israel Time: 02:33 (EST+7) web haaretz.com   Back to Homepage Rosner's Domain Diplomacy Defense Jewish World Opinion National Print Edition Car Rental Books Peres Conference Business Real Estate Easy Start Travel Week's End Anglo File

Israel is strong on cannabis, weak on cocaine and alcohol By Ofri Ilani The percentage of Israelis who have smoked cannabis is higher than in Third World countries such as Nigeria, South Africa, Mexico and Colombia, but lower than in most European countries, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) World Mental Health Survey Initiative. According to the survey, the percentage of users of alcohol and tobacco in Israel is among the lowest in the 17 countries surveyed. According to the study, 58 percent of Israelis have consumed alcohol; 48 percent have smoked tobacco and 11.5 percent have smoked cannabis. About 1 percent of Israelis have used cocaine. These figures place Israelis in sixth in cannabis use, 14th in alcohol consumption, 15th in tobacco smoking and 11th among cocaine users, when compared with the other surveyed countries. Advertisement The study was published two days ago on the online journal PloS Medicine. By means of questionnaires, the researchers examined the percentage of users of drugs, alcohol and tobacco in Ukraine, the U.S., Nigeria, Israel, South Africa, Colombia, China, Lebanon, Mexico, Netherlands, Japan, New Zealand, Germany, Italy, France, Spain and Belgium. The study incorporated 85,000 subjects in all, and placed emphasis on the percentage of cannabis and cigarettes smokers and alcohol users, and the age at which they began to use these substances. In Israel 4,859 people participated in the study. According to the findings, the highest consumption of drugs and alcohol is in the U.S. The percentage of users in the world's strongest and most developed nation is far higher than in the poorest of African countries. The percentage of Americans who reported using cannabis or cocaine is higher than in any of the other countries examined in the study: 42 percent used cannabis and 16 percent cocaine. A similar percentage of cannabis use was recorded in New Zealand. One of the conclusions of the survey is that drug use "does not appear to be simply related to drug policy... since countries with more stringent policies toward illegal drug use did not have lower drug use levels than countries with more liberal policies." The most blatant example is the U.S.: Despite strict limitations on smokers, 74 percent of Americans have smoked at least once in their lives. The rate of smokers in Israel is lower, and apparently Israelis begin to smoke at a relatively late age: only 9 percent of 15-year-old Israelis have smoked a cigarette, the lowest rate among the countries in the study with the exception of Nigeria (7 percent). In the U.S., on the other hand, 44 percent of 15-year-olds have already smoked. However, experts leveled criticism at the fact that the study does not mention the decline in the rate of cigarette smoking in the U.S. They say that although 74 percent of Americans have smoked at some point, today only 30 percent continue to smoke. The study also found that drug and alcohol use is on the increase in all the surveyed countries. The percentage of users of the various substances is higher in the younger age groups than among older adults. Overall, the rate of use is greater in high-income groups than among those with a low income. Bookmark to del.icio.us   Video attack West Bank settlers tie Palestinian man to phone pole and beat him. A static future Iran's nuclear program remains unchanged despite economic incentives.

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