Alcohol is used by a much higher percent of the population in all countries than other drugs of abuse (except tobacco) being as high as 85% in the Netherlands. In the figure can be seen that the rates of use of different drugs of abuse is higher in the USA than in the Netherlands or Mexico except for psychedelics and inhalants.

Lifetime prevalence of substance use differs between countries.

(Constructed from data in Goldman D, Oroszi G, Ducci F, Nature Reviews Generics, 6:521, 2005, and Vega W, et al, Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 68(3): 285, 2002)