Aussie, Aussie, Aussie!

Are you sick of complaining about Australia’s outrageously expensive housing market? Of course you are. We all are. Thankfully we’ve found another injustice Australians can get fired up about. According to a new study on our drug habits we’re paying more for cocaine than anyone else in the world.

The latest Global Drug Survey (GDS) was released this morning and it’s shed some light on the nation’s drug habits. Turns out we’re pretty into them. The survey found that three-quarters of Australians have taken illegal drugs at some point and about a third had used them in the last month.

The GDS is a research partnership between health professionals and global media companies. It’s conducted annually and this year more than 115,000 people in 20 countries were surveyed about their drug habits, including 5,700 Australians.

The survey has revealed that Australians absolutely love to hit the bong. Cannabis is the most popular illegal drug of choice, but while people in other countries prefer to smoke it straight in a joint, we are the world’s biggest users of the humble bong. Shout out to Orchy.

It’s perhaps not a surprising statistic when you consider that one of our most well-known museums, the Powerhouse in Sydney, actually features a bong in its collection.

After cannabis the next most popular illegal drugs of choice for Australians are MDMA, cocaine and LSD. And when it comes to cocaine, we are getting absolutely shafted compared to the rest of the world. Australians are forking out $321 a gram, which is pretty crazy when you consider how many smashed avo breakfasts that much money could buy.

Unsurprisingly, the world’s cheapest coke can be found in Colombia, where it costs just $5 a gram.

The survey’s results show that even though most recreational drug use is criminalised in Australia, we’re still very likely to indulge. In fact, the GDS suggests more Australians smoke cannabis than tobacco.

Eight US states have legalised recreational marijuana and earlier this year the Canadian government announced it was also going to legalise the drug. But in Australia drug law reform is moving at a glacial pace. Even something as common sense as pill testing is struggling to attract broad political support.

There are some signs of progress, however. Last year the Greens ditched their blanket opposition to drug decriminalisation. They’re now calling for drugs like cannabis to be legalised and want drug policy to be treated as a health, rather than criminal justice, issue.

But despite the popularity of illegal drugs in Australia, as demonstrated by the GDS, that’s still very much a minority view amongst our politicians and decision makers.

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Feature image via Twitter