Question:
Which is the most common drug causing dependence worldwide?
Which is the most common drug causing dependence worldwide?
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Think sheer numbers of users worldwide, not how addictive a single dose is.
Updated On: Jun 23, 2026
- Cannabis
- Cocaine
- Heroin
- Amphetamine
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The Correct Option is A
Solution and Explanation
Step 1: The question asks which illicit drug is used and abused by the largest number of people.
Step 2: Per the WHO World Drug Report 2018, around 275 million people used illicit drugs, and cannabis is the most widely used, with about 192 million users worldwide. That far exceeds the others.
Step 3: By sheer scale of use, cannabis is the most common drug of dependence.
Why not the others: Heroin (an opioid) has far fewer users (in the order of a few hundred thousand to a few million depending on region). Cocaine and amphetamine-type stimulants are also used far less widely than cannabis.
Ref: Arvind Arora Review of Psychiatry p.64; WHO World Drug Report 2018.
Step 2: Per the WHO World Drug Report 2018, around 275 million people used illicit drugs, and cannabis is the most widely used, with about 192 million users worldwide. That far exceeds the others.
Step 3: By sheer scale of use, cannabis is the most common drug of dependence.
Why not the others: Heroin (an opioid) has far fewer users (in the order of a few hundred thousand to a few million depending on region). Cocaine and amphetamine-type stimulants are also used far less widely than cannabis.
Ref: Arvind Arora Review of Psychiatry p.64; WHO World Drug Report 2018.
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