WHEN SETH ROGEN, an actor, was asked in April how he had been passing the time in lockdown, he replied, true to character, "I've smoked a truly ungodly amount of weed." Anew reportsuggests he was not alone. According to the latest Global Drug Survey, an annual study of global drug-use trends, as covid-19 has left millions stuck indoors, anxious and bored, many people have turned to psychoactive substances.

Mr Rogen's drug of choice has seen the biggest rise in usage. According to the online survey, which polled some 55,000 people in 11 mostly rich countries, almost two in five respondents have increased their use of cannabis since the start of the pandemic. Australia saw the greatest increase, at 49%, with America (46%) and Britain (44%) close behind. Respondents largely ascribed their greater use of the drug to the extra free time and boredom of lockdowns. But pre-existing mental-health conditions also played a role: among those with mental illnesses who upped their toking, 41% cited stress and 38% cited depression (among cannabis users without those conditions, the figures were 20% and 15%, respectively). Unsurprisingly, respondents in countries hit hard by the pandemic, such as America, were more likely to say they got stoned more often because they were depressed.

Daily chart Graphic detail How the pandemic has changed illegal- drug habits A survey finds weed and prescription sedatives are up, party drugs are down Easing the pain Change in frequency of drug use since the start of the pandemic, % responding* Increased a lot Increased a little Stayed the same Decreased a little Decreased a lot 25 50 75 100 Cannabis (THC) Prescription benzodiazepines Methamphetamine Cannabis (CBD) Prescription opioids Magic mushrooms Tramadol Ketamine Cocaine LSD Amphetamine Ecstasy Source: Global Drug Survey *Online survey of 55,811 adults polled May-June 2020 The Economist