Boulder, Boston Areas Report Most Marijuana Use
A new report from SAMHSA estimates that Boston, MA, and Boulder,
CO, are among the areas with the highest rates of past-month marijuana
use in the Nation.
In Boston, an estimated 12.2 percent of the population
age 12 and older used marijuana; the rate in Boulder
was 10.3 percent. Northwestern Iowa and Southernmost
Texas were among the areas with the lowest estimated
rates at 2.3 percent and 2.6 percent, respectively.
Data in the short report Marijuana Use in Substate Areas
are derived from a new online report, "Substate Estimates from
the 1999-2001 National Surveys on Drug Use and Health."
This report combines 3 years of data to estimate—for
the first time—drug use in 331 substate areas. Areas
were designated by the states. For example, New York
has two areas (New York City and the rest of the state),
while Pennsylvania has 23 areas.
Marijuana data highlighted in the short report show
that of the 15 substate areas with the highest rates
of past-month marijuana use in the United States, 5 were
in Massachusetts, 3 in California, and 2 in Colorado.
Of the 15 areas ranked with the lowest rates of marijuana
use in the past month, 4 were in Iowa.
"These new data provide us with a powerful new tool that can
be used to focus and refine our substance abuse prevention and treatment
strategies," said SAMHSA Administrator Charles G. Curie, M.A.,
A.C.S.W.
The reports also reveal large variations in past-month marijuana
use within states. For example, rates of use in California ranged
from a low of 4.9 percent in Orange County and Los Angeles County,
to a high of 9.2 percent in Marin County, San Mateo County, and
San Francisco County.
Rates in Colorado ranged from 6.3 percent in 27 counties covering
Eastern Colorado to 10.3 percent in Boulder County.
Other areas with the highest rates of past-month marijuana
use included northern California; western Colorado; part
of the District of Columbia; the Island of Hawaii; Multnomah
County, OR; Washington County, RI; and northwestern Vermont.
Other areas with the lowest rates of past-month marijuana
use included western Idaho; eastern Kansas; eastern Nebraska;
North Dakota's Lake Region and south central, Badlands,
and west central regions; southeastern Oklahoma; and
parts of eastern South Dakota.
The larger report details each of more than 300 substate areas
and gives rates for 11 other indicators: past-month use of any illicit
drug; incidence rate of marijuana use; past-month use of any illicit
drug other than marijuana; past-year use of cocaine; past-month
use of alcohol; past-month binge use of alcohol; past-month use
of tobacco; past-month use of cigarettes; perceptions of great risk
of smoking marijuana once a month; perceptions of great risk of
having five or more drinks of an alcoholic beverage once or twice
a week; and perceptions of great risk of smoking one or more packs
of cigarettes a day.
The short report on marijuana is available on the Web
at www.oas.samhsa.gov.
The complete substate report is available on the Web
only, at oas.samhsa.gov/substate2k5/toc.htm.
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