World's Heroin Consumption By Region: U.N. Report (PHOTOS)

Heroin use is on the decline in the U.S., but continues to increase in Europe, according to a new United Nations report.

In its annual World Drug Report, released earlier this week, U.N. officials found that global opium cultivation -- which is used to make heroin -- has dropped 13 percent overall, to 657 tons.

Yet with users smoking or injecting an estimated 26 percent of 340 metric tons of the drug consumed worldwide, heroin use remains solid in Europe. Consumption is particularly strong in Western countries such as the United Kingdom, Italy and France, and as demand for both heroin and cocaine has grown within those nations, trafficking routes for both drugs have shifted, with West Africa essentially the crossroads, the report states.

See the U.N.'s breakdown of the world's heroin consumption by geographical region, from lest to most, here:

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Iran -- 5% (17 Metric Tons)

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An Tehran official examines a carpet with powdered heroin intricately woven in.

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An Tehran official examines a carpet with powdered heroin intricately woven in.

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Comments

[gx5000]

11:47 AM on 07/05/2010

Oh Thank you for Lumping Canada with the USA...really now.

[Takebackourmoney]

06:53 PM on 07/04/2010

Africa is a continent. So which countries in Africa is consuming.

[JerseyHooligan]

11:19 AM on 07/05/2010

So is Europe...

[PCMinistry]

01:55 PM on 07/02/2010

Picture 6: Those balloans look made to swallow or...you know, hidden elsewhere.

[HollisHoHo]

03:53 AM on 07/01/2010

Boy, am I relieved to see that the war on drugs is finally working! :)

[BBackSoon]

05:14 PM on 06/30/2010

We’re (Not) number 1!

[FalstaffsMind]

11:28 AM on 06/30/2010

I expected to see Kieth Richards picture.

[angry expat]

10:08 AM on 06/30/2010

...But when it comes to cocaine, no one can top NYC, Hollywood and the US government!

[santiago sherwood]

12:38 PM on 06/29/2010

now here is a problem where Iran, Russia, China, EU and the US could cooperate as a bridge to relations. We don't want heroin anywhere, these could prove to be an opportunity to fight a common enemy.

[JaxReader]

07:12 PM on 06/30/2010

I wish that was true, however in some governments with civil unrest, high unemployment, they actually use opium, or heroin, to in increase in addiction as a means of eliminating people and to subdue them from rebellion. Sad, but historically true.

[INQUISITION11]

03:37 PM on 06/28/2010

Most is produced by our Afghan allies and some by the taliban.It's not suprising to see Europe is such a big consumer ,i bet Britain accounts for a large part of Europe's consumption, plenty of addicts where i live. They perscribe methadone which kills many people in the UK ,so they may as well perscribe Heroin, it would be better for everyone.No legalisation though heroin's too distructive ,decriminalisation is the way to go ,and put a limit on how much can be carried without prosecution like Portugal whose drug use has fallen.

[Usama]

11:54 AM on 06/28/2010

I know many may hate this, but countries like Pakistan NEED the Islamic fundamentalists to gain power for the good of the people. Pakistan has massive illiteracy, prostitution, drug abuse, poverty, corruption, disparity of wealth and power. Secularists who are corrupt and immoral are supported by America simply because they do America's bidding, but they do America's bidding in order to gain and stay in power- its Catch 22.
Like it or not, America is seen as connected with the most corrupt, most despicable elites around the world.

Meanwhile, drug production, trafficking, and abuse are part of the capitalist economic world order. Drug money allows for illegal arms trade which allows for militant opposition which justifies military intervention, higher expenditures, police states, etc. among other equations.

[AaronWP]

09:27 AM on 07/02/2010

Who even cares about drugs? In Pakistan I guarantee that illiteracy is a much bigger problem than heroin addiction or even manufacture.

The western world has plenty of hospital beds and methadone to spare.

[Billy Jack]

10:41 AM on 06/28/2010

"who consumes the world's heroin?", Rush Limbaugh

[patman77]

10:24 AM on 06/28/2010

#1 keefe richards !!

[kitsinu]

10:22 AM on 06/28/2010

I followed a link that was titled "WHO CONSUMES THE WORLD'S HEROIN"

When I first read that, it sounded like the World Health Organization consumes the World's Heroic. It was a bit of a surprise to see.

[Fein]

09:33 AM on 06/28/2010

Well I guess I understand why Afghanistan's so important to the Neocon's now.

[Tom Joad]

09:01 AM on 06/28/2010

...it's not CIA so much who CIA is consuming it CIA, it's who CIA is producing it AFGHANISTAN and permitting CIA its worldwide distribution USA...

[patman77]

10:25 AM on 06/28/2010

same as the politics of heroin in south east asia. title of book and pics proving cia involvement back then

[Pumpsie]

10:31 AM on 06/30/2010

Heroin is one thing. Morphine is another. Morphine is needed by the military, especially when fighting two wars with more conflicts on the horizon. So, that's TWO big reasons to keep those poppy fields in business.