ISLAMABAD – Pakistan’s Karachi tops a list of cannabis consumption in theworld’s cities, coming second only to New York City in the United States.

According to the ABCD 2018 Cannabis Price Index, Karachi comes just secondafter New York (77.44 metric tonnes) in terms of consuming cannabis —including hashish — at 41.95 metric tonnes, or 41,950 kilogrammes. NewDelhi came third in the list at 38.26 metric tonnes, and Mumbai on thesixth position, the only other South Asian cities to be on the top 10.

Although cannabis is associated with “bohemian” European cities likeAmsterdam and Berlin, the only other European city besides London on thelist is one of Europe’s most notoriously conservative capitals: Moscow inRussia, which was ninth on the list.

While the consumption of cannabis is in itself not a criminal offence,possessing more than a precise amount is illegal, and can lead to prisonsentences from a year to a life in imprisonment. With the exception ofToronto, however, none of the cities on the top 10 are particularlycannabis-friendly, so the lack of legality seems to have hardly any effecton its consumption.

All of these cities are on the other hand large cities that define the’urban’ world, which may indicate lifestyles in such fast-paced cities seekrelaxing drugs – like cannabis – to cope with their everyday reality.