Going by the things you see on TV and on Snapchat after 2AM, the highest consumers of cocaine are evil corporate types, Stevie Nicks in the 80s, and girls I went to school with who just got their real estate licences (seriously congrats, btw). But, shockingly, that observational reporting is wrong.
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime recently looked at cocaine consumption around the world, to see which countries were racking up without abandon. The results were delivered as a percentage of people that used coke, relative to the population.
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Of the 115 countries ranked, Albania—with a population of only 2.8 million—came out on top, with 2.5 percent of the population using. Next came Scotland, with 2.34 of the population indulging. The US was number 3, solidifying the Hollywood / your Melbourne mate who went to New York once in 2009 and won’t shut up about it-version of the country.
For the record, Columbia, the world’s largest exporter of coke,didn’t crack the top 20, coming in at number 34 with only 0.7% of the population actually using. Below them, right at the bottom, were African and Middle Eastern nations who reported the lowest consumption.
Somewhat amazingly, Australia came in at number six, with 2.1 percent of the population hoovering. It’s an impressive (or stupid, depending who you ask) achievement, considering Oz is reported to have the highest cocaine prices in the world. Our isolation, small market, and intense border control mean our coke averages $300 a gram. For comparison purposes, Spain, whose residents are only using marginally more than we are in the number-five spot, buy coke for $79.50 per gram.
Plus there is the whole Australian coke is pretty much rat poison and dandruff thing. But hey, if it makes you happy right? Just please stop telling us how much better the coke you had in Bolivia was.
For the record, here is the rest of the top 20:
Albania – 2.5 percent of the population uses it
Scotland – 2.34
United States – 2.3
England and Wales – 2.25
Spain – 2.2
Australia – 2.1
Uruguay – 1.8
Chile – 1.73
Netherlands – 1.6
Ireland – 1.5
Canada – 1.46
Aruba – 1.3
Bermuda – 1.3
Ghana – 1.1
Italy – 1.1
France – 1.1
Israel – 1.07
Iceland – 1.06
Costa Rica – 1.06
Luxembourg – 1.04
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Read more:
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