Drug use and drinking among students in 36 countries

This article summarizes data on alcohol and drug use from studies of high school students in 36 countries. Drug use levels varied greatly among countries, but alcohol and cannabis were used most often, followed by amphetamines, ecstasy, and cocaine. In countries having high levels of cannabis use, the use of other drugs was also more common but there were no consistent differences for alcohol. Use of various drugs was correlated except for alcohol use, which was related to cannabis use only when some countries with low alcohol use levels were removed. In general, the studies show that drug use priorities for studies are mainly the same in the countries studied. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd.