In a report mapping the world according to consumption of cannabis, Egypt has been ranked #25 out of 30 countries in terms of high consumption of the substance.
The study was published by British newspaper The Telegraph on 4/20— a day internationally dedicated to smoking marijuana —as a nod to the occasion. The country that ranked #1 globally, contrary to the cliché, was not in fact the Netherlands; according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the biggest marijuana-loving nation in the world is Iceland. UNODC data suggests that cannabis is used by 18.3% of Iceland's population (aged 15-64).
The U.S. (16.2%) and Nigeria (14.3%) had the second and third highest rates of consumption, while Egypt came in as 25th on the list with 6.24% of the population consuming the illegal drug. And the Netherlands? It came in 20th place; who'd have thought.... 

The tradition of celebrating the day 4/20 by smoking marijuana dates back to the seventies. The story began when a group of high school students in California would meet up for a sneaky smoke at 4:20 pm; they used the secret code “420 Louis” to let each other know to meet by a statue of French scientist Louis Pasteur [pictured] to smoke their joints. 

In 2015, the Cairo and Giza Tobacco Merchants Association submitted a proposal to the cabinet in order to legalize the trade and use of 'hashish'.
The TMA posited that this legalization would help reduce the state budget deficit through imposing taxes on the substance. However, the motion did not pass and marijuana remains illegal in the country since 1925, when Egypt signed the League of Nations’ Geneva International Convention on Narcotic Control. 
However, a number of countries have had a rethink on their cannabis laws in recent years. Portugal decriminalised all drugs in 2001, and within a decade substance abuse was reported to have halved. California, Massachusetts and Nevada are among the latest US states to vote for its legalisation, while Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau introduced legislation to legalize the recreational use of marijuana just this month, in fulfilling a campaign pledge. 

Should 'hashish' be legalised in Egypt? Tell us your opinion! 

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Salma Anderson