Question:easy
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
Epidemiology pearl: when a question says most common drug of dependence, it is asking about prevalence of use, and the WHO data put cannabis at the top.
Compare the user numbers. The WHO World Drug Report 2018 counts roughly 275 million people using illicit drugs, of whom about 192 million use cannabis, making it by far the most widely consumed. Opioids such as heroin have a much smaller user base, and cocaine and amphetamine-type stimulants likewise fall well below cannabis in total users.
So although heroin and cocaine are individually highly addictive, the most common drug of dependence by population is cannabis.
Ref: WHO World Drug Report 2018; Arvind Arora Review of Psychiatry.
Compare the user numbers. The WHO World Drug Report 2018 counts roughly 275 million people using illicit drugs, of whom about 192 million use cannabis, making it by far the most widely consumed. Opioids such as heroin have a much smaller user base, and cocaine and amphetamine-type stimulants likewise fall well below cannabis in total users.
So although heroin and cocaine are individually highly addictive, the most common drug of dependence by population is cannabis.
Ref: WHO World Drug Report 2018; Arvind Arora Review of Psychiatry.
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