Dutch have low rate of marijuana use

BRUSSELS, Nov. 6 (UPI) -- The Netherlands, a country famous for its marijuana coffee shops, has one of the lowest rates of marijuana use in Europe, a report says.

Only 5.4 percent of Dutch adults reported using the drug, below the European average of 6.8 percent, the EUobserver reported. The highest rate was in Italy at 14.6 percent, double the percentage of a decade ago.

Spain, the Czech Republic and France also had high rates of marijuana use, while Bulgaria, Greece, Malta and Romania were low.

The European Monitoring Center for Drugs and Drug Addiction also reported that "spice," a mix of legal plant products, is becoming increasingly available. Some users say smoking the mixture, often marketed as incense, produces an effect similar to cannabis.

France, Germany, Luxembourg and Poland have classified some of the ingredients of spice as narcotics, and Austria has banned the sale of combinations of plant mixtures and synthetic drugs.