UN says Cocaine and Opium productions are down...Marijuana Potency and Usage, Still High.

Opium and cocaine production

Opium cultivation in Afghanistan, where 93% of the world's opium is grown, declined 19% in 2008, according to the UN world drug report. In Colombia, which produces half of the world's cocaine, cultivation of coca fell 18% while production declined 28% compared with 2007. Global coca production, at 845 tonnes, was said to be at a five-year low, despite some increases in cultivation in Peru and Bolivia.
Stronger cannabis

Cannabis remains the most widely cultivated and used drug around the world, although estimates are less precise. Data also show that it is more harmful than commonly believed, said the report.

The average THC content (the harmful psychotropic component) of hydroponic marijuana in North America almost doubled in the past decade. "This has major health implications as evidenced by a significant rise in the number of people seeking treatment," said the report.

The world's biggest markets for cannabis were North America, Oceania, and western Europe. For cocaine, North America and some parts of western Europe remain the main markets, with the UK having the highest number of users and Spain the highest number per capita and the largest number of seizures. The report accepted that data for developing countries was sketchy.

Roughly 167 million users tried cannabis at least once in 2007. Among the findings of the report was a decline in cannabis use among young people in Europe. This was seen by the report's lead author, Dr Sandeep Chawla, as a reaction to concerns about the potential side-effects of the much stronger strains of the drug, particularly skunk.