For thousands of years, drugs have been part of culture, society and human experience. Worldwide drug use statistics provide an interesting insight into how we treat narcotic drugs and the addicts.

Perhaps not surprisingly, the world's most preferred drug is marijuana. With the exception of El Salvador and several countries in Southeast Asia, marijuana is the most widely used banned or strictly regulated substance in any country.

It appears that the highest number of smokers is in Iceland, where 18.3% of adults are reported as consumers. The next country is the United States with 14.8%.

Bulgaria ranks sixth in the world of ecstasy use after Australia, New Zealand, Scotland, the Netherlands, England and Wales.

Most people are addicted to opioids - heroin, opium and much of the stronger painkillers. The reason for this is a combination of two factors - the addictive properties of opioids and their accessibility.

The countries with the highest number of people treated for drug addiction are New Zealand, Iran and the United States. However, the latter is more indicative of the public's attitude toward drugs than the number of people in need of treatment. New Zealand, for example, is known for "aggressively addressing" drug problems, spending reportedly $ 120 million a year on drug addiction, which is $ 27 New Zealand dollars or or 17 euro per person.