why are Americans 3.5 times a likely to use heroin compared to the Dutch?

Published December 3, 2010

Question by You Fascists are Bound to Lose: why are Americans 3.5 times a likely to use heroin compared to the Dutch?
despite the fact that the “gateway drug” cannabis is legal in holland?

US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, National Household Survey on Drug Abuse: Volume I. Summary of National Findings (Washington, DC: HHS, August 2002), p. 109, Table H.1.
2: Trimbos Institute, “Report to the EMCDDA by the Reitox National Focal Point, The Netherlands Drug Situation 2002” (Lisboa, Portugal: European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction, Nov. 2002), p. 28, Table 2.1.
Lifetime prevalence of heroin use (ages 12+)
US: 1.4%
Holland 0.4%

(see above sources)
@preggers; actually, the street price of a gram of heroin in the US is $ 131, while in holland its $ 32, according to the UN

http://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/data-and-analysis/WDR-2009.html

Best answer:

Answer by Carrie
Why is this in “politics”?

Add your own answer in the comments!