AKIPRESS.COM - The European Union's drug agency says marijuana continues to be the continent's most commonly used drug, with almost 79 million Europeans estimated to have tried it at some point in their lives.

That compares with some 15.6 million who have tried cocaine, the second most popular, reports AP.

The annual European Drug Report published Thursday by the Lisbon, Portugal-based agency said marijuana accounts for 80 percent of drug seizures on the continent and 60 percent of all reported drug law offenses.

The European Monitoring Center for Drugs and Drug Addiction also noted that while recent laws allowing the regulated sale of marijuana in some parts of North and South America have drawn wide interest and debate among drug experts, attention in Europe is still centered on the drug's potential health costs.