Lifted this from the Daily Record newspaper, they’re a tabloid and they don’t acknowledge their sources so this could be pish but I cast it into this dog pit of discussion anyway. Anyone know where they got their figures?

Countries with highest % of adults who have used cannabis
1. New Zealand 22.23%
2. Australia 17.93%
3. U.S.A 12.3%
4. U.K 9%
5. Switzerland 8.5%
6. Ireland 7.91%
7. Spain 7.58%
8. Canada 7.41%
9. Netherlands 5.24%
10. Belgium 5.01%
Daily Record, Jan 20th 2006, p9

To be taken with a large shovelful of salt methinks. Raises one or two interesting points though. Correct me if I’m wrong but don’t the countries above the Netherlands have higher, much higher in some cases, penalties for possession of dope. One in the eye for the prohibitionists there. Some thing wrong with the UK figure? If we are really only at 9% I must know most of them, everyone on my street takes a toke, my close smells like a coffeeshop most evenings. We are being caught up by Switzerland for Christ sake, one of the most conservative (small c) countries in Europe.
Lastly, how the fuck do they get any work done in NZ.

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Although I agree the Swiss were tolerant towards the herb back in '99 or so, their attitude towards soft-drugs was never quite as open as you'll find in Amsterdam. Since then, the Swiss goverment has grown much more stringent, cracking down on commercial growers and frowning upon sales to tourists. Although I'm sure that the situation differs depending on the region...

I visited Switzerland once a year for about 3 years straight, and would stop in Interlaken on my way up to the mountains for smoke...in '99 there used to be an internet cafe downtown Interlaken where you could purchase grass in a rough cotton bag but you had to ask for a 'sniff sack' because apparently, it was legal to be sold as an insence. Nice brand positioning if you ask me!

In 2000, I arrived in Interlaken to find the shop closed for business but knew of another option in nearby Thun. After finding the store in Thun--decorated with a variety of lawn gnomes gathered around a sizeable and budding plant outside--I was greeted with a much less clandestine operation. They had a variety of grass to choose from, a la Amsterdam, but would not sell to me if I didn't have a membership card. I asked for one, they gave me one! It's nice to be in the club ;-) Their selection featured several bio and hydro options. It was quite a lovely blend, if I do say so myself. The store next door sold psychadelic mushrooms as well. It turned out to be one of the best hiking trips in to the mountains yet!

In '01 I returned to the store in Thun to find the situation had changed....the girl behind the counter said despite my membership card, she could not sell to me as I was not a Swiss National. I smoothly invented a story about how I would be living in Switzerland temporarily, for the summer, and how was I supposed to go up in to the mountains without some herb? ha! She bought it and sold me the goods.

Haven't been back to the Berner Oberland since then, unfortunately, but I can honestly say that scoring primo green and spending several days hiking through the Swiss alps is one of the finest combinations known to man! Highly recommended trip itinerary. If anyone knows the current state of "green" affairs in Switzerland at this time, please let me know.

The hills are alive....
~uber.

Boab if its in the Daily Record its got to be a load of shite.Better with a quality paper like the Sun ;-)
Or even better the Daily Sport boobies galore.

Odd that Jamaica isn't included in the list.

I don't know about NZ and Australia, but given how low the numbers are for the rest of the list, these sound more like the percentage who are regular smokers, not the percentage who have ever smoked. That's assuming that there is anything solid to back this report up.

Alright you Yanks, if each one of us that has smoked at least once in the States can recruit at least one uninitiated friend to smoke a joint with us, we can make up the deficit! We have nothing to fear but fear itself. Just remember those Kiwis and Aussies put their hemp trousers on one leg at a time, just like we do. So come on boys and girls, don't forget how you felt when the Nazis bombed Pearl Harbor (don't stop me, I'm on a roll) and spark one up with a virign buddy! USA! USA! The country to never lose a war ....(Vietnam was a tie and they had homecourt advantage. If we could get 'em at our place, we'd crush em).

Alright, smoke 'em if you got 'em .

Doesn't surprise me that Aus and NZ are high up.. It grows easily here and the culture would be open to it.

Was in Amsterdam when the NL football team played Macedonia recently.. I noticed the pubs and RLD were packed with the Orange army.. However I didn't see one in any coffee shops or notice any obviously smoking weed. So it doesn't surprise me that they aren't so high up the list.