Marijuana is the most widely used illicit substance in the world, according to a U.N. report. (Arkowitz & Lilienfeld, 2012) Here are some other facts and statistics on this popular psychoactive drug:

• Marijuana is the most popular illicit drug in the U.S., with 18 million regular users. (Leinwand-Leger, 12-4-2012)

• In national surveys, 48% of Americans say they’ve at least tried pot, and 6.5% of high school seniors admit to daily use. (Khamsi, 2013)

• A SAMHSA survey found 6.4% of Americans had used marijuana within the past month, and 10.8% had done so in the past year. (Shorman, 2011)

• Marijuana use in the U.S. has been rapidly rising over the last decade. 16.7 million people reported smoking pot within the last month in 2010-an 8% increase over the previous year. (Conant, 2010)

• It’s estimated that 1% of the nation’s overall electricity consumption goes toward indoor marijuana cultivation. (The Week, 4-29-2011, p. 22)

• Marijuana isn’t harmless. In 2010 alone it sent 461,028 people to the emergency room. (Leinwand-Leger, 12-4-2012)

• College students tend to overestimate how much marijuana others use. In one survey, two-thirds say they never smoke pot, yet most students believed the average student used once a week. (Hanson et al., 2004, p. 378)

Statistics on marijuana addiction

• 1. While marijuana isn’t as addictive as some other drugs, it is nonetheless addictive. A large scale survey by the National Institute on Drug Abuse found that of those who tried marijuana at least once, around 9% eventually developed dependence. The corresponding figures for alcohol were 15%; cocaine: 17%, heroin: 23%, and nicotine: 32%. (Anthony, Warner & Kessler, 1994)

• 2. According to a 2012 report by the American Society of Addiction Medicine, between 1993 and 2008, the average concentration of THC in confiscated marijuana jumped from 3.4 to 8.8 percent, making it far more addictive than marijuana of the