
You may imagine that with its liberal laws and Amsterdam’s cannabis coffee shops, the Netherlands would top a poll of cannabis use.

But a series of maps has revealed that in fact Iceland smokes the most weed - with the Netherlands not even making the top five.

The US tops the chart for prescription drug abuse as well as cocaine, while Norway consumes the most alcohol.

You may image that with its liberal laws and Amsterdam’s cannabis coffee shops, the Netherlands would top a poll of cannabis use. But a series of maps (one shown above) shows that Iceland smokes the most weed, with the Netherlands not even making the top five

The maps, created by Recovery Brands, compare drug use in America and Europe.

One shows the how many people use cannabis at least once a year, based on 2003-2014 data collected by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

Iceland is the top country for smoking weed, with between 160 and 190 people smoking a spliff per 1,000 adults, it says.

Marijuana is illegal in the cold country, but tolerated with users smoking or in possession of a small amount of the drug, getting a fine.

It's unclear why the drug is so popular, but it may be because beer was only made legal 25 years ago and alcohol is expensive, Mic.com reported.

The US is second biggest consumer of the drug, with between 130 and 160 users per 1,000 adults, followed by Spain with up to 10 per cent of people using the drug.

Iceland is the top country for smoking weed, with between 160 and 190 people smoking a spliff per 1,000 adults. A stock image of a marijuana cigarette is shown

A map based on European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration data, shows 893 adults in every 1,000 in Norway have drank alcohol in the past year. There are no statistics included for the UK, which is known for its binge drinkign culture.

The map shows that between 40 and 70 people in every thousand smoke weed at least once a year in the UK.

Another map shows that cocaine use is most common in the US and Spain. In both countries, 23 people in every 1,000 used the Class A drug at least one in the past year, according to the map.

It's estimated that 94 per cent of all Euro notes circulating in Spain have traces of the drug upon them, CultureSpain.com reported.

The European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCCDA) said Spain is the gateway for drugs to enter Europe because of its 1,864 mile-long (3,000km) coastline, perhaps explaining the drug is popular because it's prevalent.

Malta, Ireland and the Netherlands make up the remainder of the top five countries by cocaine use.

The US also tops the charts for opioid use, with more than twice the next highest rate. Opioids include heroin as well as painkillers such as morphine and methadone.

Approximately 19 adults in 1,000 people in the US have taken amphetamines such as speed at least once a year, according to this map

The country has a real problem, with 2.1 million people suffering from substance use disorders related to prescription opioid pain relievers in 2012and an estimated 467,000 addicted to heroin, according to The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIH).

The number of unintentional overdose deaths from prescription pain relievers has more than quadrupled since 1999.

The map, which draws on UNODC data from 2000 to 2012, shows that 61 in every 1,000 adults have used an opioid – a drug resembling opium in its addictive properties or physiological effects - at least once in the past year, compared with 27 in the Czech Republic.

There is no data for the UK, but Ireland came in in fifth place.

More people used amphetamine-type stimulants in the US than any other country marked on the map.

Approximately 19 adults in 1,000 people in the US have taken amphetamines such as speed at least once in the past year.

Amphetamine was a popular drug of abuse in the US in the 1960s and 1970s but while the problem has lessened slightly, it is still a major problem.

Another map shows that cocaine use is most common in the US and Spain. In both countries, 23 people in every 1,000 use the Class A drug, according to the map

Malta, Ireland and the Netherlands make up the remainder of the top five countries by cocaine use. A stock image of a drug user chopping cocaine is pictured

Estonia, Luxembourg, Malta and Iceland make up the rest of the top five.

And when it comes to alcohol, Norway topped the chart. A map, based on European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) data, shows that in Norway, 893 adults in every 1,000 have drank alcohol in the past year, making it the booziest nation.

Germany and Finland are close behind, followed by France and Ireland, which is known for its drinking culture.

Alcohol is expensive in Norway, yet its consumption has increased in all demographics since the 1970s, with 10 per cent of 15-year-olds drinking at least once a week.

A government study revealed that between 1993 and 2000, alcohol consumption increased by 20 per cent.

Alcohol researcher Inger Synnove Moan of Sirus, the government substance abuse institute, told NewsInEnglishNorway this could be because of the historic religious taboo associated with alcohol, as well as its high cost, which may make it more alluring and exotic.

More people are drinking to excess and half of alcohol consumed in Norway is drank by one tenth of is drinkers, possibly making as many as 300,000 Norwegians high consumers of alcohol.

There are no statistics for the UK, which has a well-known binge drinking culture, but Italians and Portuguese people are among the most restrained consumers of alcohol in Western Europe, according to the map.