
 
 REPORTING FROM SEOUL -– There’s a reason that Australians’ boomerangs won’t come back these days: They forgot they threw them. 
 
 Everyone knows the partying reputation of those rollicking denizens Down Under -– that upside-down, winter-in-July continent where women are called shielas and men guzzle beer by the case. 
 
 But a new study published in the British medical journal The Lancet gives more insight into why Australian culture is so laid-back, why the phrase “G’day” is usually the first thing out of people’s mouths. 
 
 Well, everyday is a good day Down Under because Australians, as it turns out, smoke more marijuana than anyone else on the planet, according to The Lancet. 
 
 Imagine the possible new entries for the Aussie urban dictionary: 
 
 “Don’t wallaby that joint, my friend.” 
 
 “Welcome to the Great Barrier Reefer.” 
 
 “Roll me another joey, will ya mate?” ||||| A three-part Series assesses the global public-health toll and policy implications of drug addiction. The first paper summarises data for the prevalence and consequences of problem use of amphetamines, cannabis, cocaine, and opioids. In high-income countries, illicit drug use contributes less to the burden of disease than tobacco, but a substantial proportion of that burden is due to alcohol. Intelligent policy responses to drug problems need better prevalence data for different types of illicit drug use and the harms that their use causes globally. This need is especially urgent in high-income countries with substantial rates of illicit drug use and in low-income and middle-income countries close to illicit drug production areas. The second paper reviews existing drug policies and highlights the need for greater reliance on scientific evidence-based policy making. The final paper examines the value of international drug conventions in protecting public health.
– It appears that our friends from Down Under are in fact up higher than North Americans—a new study shows that Australians and New Zealanders are the world's top pot smokers, reports the Los Angeles Times. The Lancet found that 15% of Aussies and Kiwis ages 15-64 used some form of marijuana in 2009, as opposed to 11% of North Americans, and just 2.5% of people in Asia. Australians and New Zealanders also are the top users of amphetamines. “Just look at the way we take alcohol as an integral part of everyday life. I think a lot of young people see cannabis in the same way that we see alcohol: as no big deal, as a drug just to use to have a good time,” said one of the study's researchers. The study also found that up to 203 million people around the world use marijuana annually, compared to up to 56 million who use amphetamines and 21 million who use cocaine or opiates such as heroin.