Marijuana legalization has been a political issue in the United States for some time, and while it remains illegal in most states, others have softened their stance in recent years. Colorado and Washington both passed initiatives by popular vote to decriminalize and legalize cannabis in 2012. In 2014, Oregon, Alaska and Washington, D.C., followed suit. Many states including Massachusetts, California, Missouri, Hawaii, Maine, Nevada and Ohio have flirted with legalization for a few election cycles, with buzz growing.
The United States isn't the only country where people use marijuana legally or illicitly. In fact, it isn’t even the country with the highest reported marijuana use.
To determine the countries with the highest marijuana use, HealthGrove used data from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, which covers reported use of cannabis for each country in the last year. Although we included the most recent data available, the year collected varies by country. We've ranked the list from least to most reported usage, and provide legality information for each country.
#23. Estonia*
Marijuana Legality: Decriminalized
Percent of People Who Reported Using Cannabis in the Last Year: 6%
*Tied with Ireland and United Kingdom
#23. Ireland*
Marijuana Legality: Illegal
Percent of People Who Reported Using Cannabis in the Last Year: 6%
*Tied with United Kingdom and Estonia
#23. United Kingdom*
Marijuana Legality: Illegal
Percent of People Who Reported Using Cannabis in the Last Year: 6%
*Tied with Ireland and Estonia
#22. Egypt
Marijuana Legality: Illegal
Percent of People Who Reported Using Cannabis in the Last Year: 6.24%
#21. Denmark
Marijuana Legality: Illegal
Percent of People Who Reported Using Cannabis in the Last Year: 6.9%
#20. Netherlands
Marijuana Legality: Legal to possess up to 5 grams, decriminalized for public use, legal for use in coffeeshops. In the Netherlands, coffeeshops (sometimes spelled koffieshop) are establishments where the sale of cannabis for personal consumption by the public is tolerated by the local authorities.
Percent of People Who Reported Using Cannabis in the Last Year: 7%
#19. Jamaica
Marijuana Legality: Decriminalized
Percent of People Who Reported Using Cannabis in the Last Year: 7.21%
#18. Chile
Marijuana Legality: Decriminalized
Percent of People Who Reported Using Cannabis in the Last Year: 7.47%
#16. Barbados*
Marijuana Legality: Illegal
Percent of People Who Reported Using Cannabis in the Last Year: 8.3%
*Tied with Uruguay
#16. Uruguay*
Marijuana Legality: Legal
Percent of People Who Reported Using Cannabis in the Last Year: 8.3%
*Tied with Barbados
#15. France
Marijuana Legality: Illegal
Percent of People Who Reported Using Cannabis in the Last Year: 8.4%
#14. Belize
Marijuana Legality: Mostly tolerated
Percent of People Who Reported Using Cannabis in the Last Year: 8.45%
#13. Brazil
Marijuana Legality: Illegal
Percent of People Who Reported Using Cannabis in the Last Year: 8.8%
#12. Saint Lucia
Marijuana Legality: Illegal
Percent of People Who Reported Using Cannabis in the Last Year: 8.87%
#11. Israel
Marijuana Legality: Medical use only
Percent of People Who Reported Using Cannabis in the Last Year: 8.88%
#10. Madagascar
Marijuana Legality: Illegal
Percent of People Who Reported Using Cannabis in the Last Year: 9.1%
#9. Czech Republic
Marijuana Legality: Decriminalized for personal use in small amounts
Percent of People Who Reported Using Cannabis in the Last Year: 9.2%
#8. Zambia
Marijuana Legality: Illegal
Percent of People Who Reported Using Cannabis in the Last Year: 9.5%
#7. Spain
Marijuana Legality: Decriminalized
Percent of People Who Reported Using Cannabis in the Last Year: 9.6%
#6. Australia
Marijuana Legality: Decriminalized in some states
Percent of People Who Reported Using Cannabis in the Last Year: 10.16%
#5. Canada
Marijuana Legality: Medical use only
Percent of People Who Reported Using Cannabis in the Last Year: 12.2%
#4. Nigeria
Marijuana Legality: Illegal
Percent of People Who Reported Using Cannabis in the Last Year: 14.3%
#3. New Zealand
Marijuana Legality: Illegal
Percent of People Who Reported Using Cannabis in the Last Year: 14.6%
#2. United States
Marijuana Legality: Illegal at the federal level but decriminalized or legal in some states
Percent of People Who Reported Using Cannabis in the Last Year: 15.4%
#1. Iceland
Marijuana Legality: Illegal
Percent of People Who Reported Using Cannabis in the Last Year: 18.3%
