The use of marijuana is more prevalent in Bermuda than in North America and the Caribbean.

Council on Alcohol and Drug Abuse deputy chairperson Karen Hendrickson revealed this to Hamilton Lions yesterday at their weekly luncheon at Pier Six.

Reading out "staggering'' statistics, Ms Hendrickson said one in ten adults in Bermuda was using marijuana.

"This usage is significantly higher than the majority of other countries,'' she said. "It is three times the usage seen in Canada; more than double the usage seen in the US; ten to 20 times the usage seen in Haiti, The Dominican Republic, and Martinique; and almost double the usage rates seen in Amsterdam where marijuana is legal and readily available.'' Referring to a recent study conducted by the National Drug Commission last year on Bermuda's adult population, Ms Hendrickson said what was even more startling was the fact that 41 percent of adults in Bermuda had used marijuana.

"Only 29 percent of adults in Jamaica have used marijuana in their lifetime,'' she said, noting that statistics were unavailable for current users in Jamaica.

Further highlighting the NDC study, Ms Hendrickson said an estimated 4,800 adults used marijuana within a one-month period and one in every 50 adults used an "extremely addictive, harmful and life-threatening drugs'' in the same period.

She also noted that about 14 percent of adults in Bermuda admitted to having five or more drinks on three occasions within a month. And an additional 14 percent said they had five or more drinks on one or two occasions within a month.

Ms Hendrickson said the local statistics were even more staggering when the health and safety risks of drug usage were added up.

"What is even more alarming is the impact that this extremely high prevalence of usage is having on our homes, workplaces, and family lives,'' she said.

"The importance of this data is that we know that as a country we have to focus our prevention efforts on our children and youth.

"By ensuring that our children are educated, trained and prepared to make the right decisions about alcohol and drugs by the age of 12 or 13, or younger, we can reduce the overall prevalence of alcohol and drug abuse in Bermuda.'' And she said while fully aware of the extent of the Island's drug problem, CADA was not "daunted with the task at hand''.

Noting that all activities which affect the use and abuse of alcohol and illicit drugs fell into the categories of interdication, prevention, and treatment, Ms Hendrickson said CADA's activities fall under prevention.

Marijuana use high CADA's efforts were focused specifically in the area of training and education, she said.

The Board has invested 75 percent of its annual budget into training of staff and volunteers working in the field of substance abuse; helping those responsible for training and educating youth; providing a scholarship to support overseas training; and holding forums.

"To others CADA's efforts may be like attempting to count the grains of sand in a desert,'' she said. "But we at CADA know we are not alone in fighting the scourge that has beset our Island home. We know that we are making a difference, but it takes time and it cannot happen overnight.''