Pubdate: Fri, 13 Feb 2004 Source: Rocky Mountain News (Denver, CO) Copyright: 2004, Denver Publishing Co. Contact: http://www.rockymountainnews.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/371 Author: Burt Hubbard, Rocky Mountain News Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?420 (Cannabis - Popular) A PICTURE OF COLORADO STATISTICS SHOW STATE HAS RIGHTS TO BRAG, PROBLEMS TO SOLVE Coloradans have seen their disposable income skyrocket and births among teenagers plummet. They live in a state that dramatically cut toxic chemical releases and doubled its spending for crumbling highways. But a new report on life in the U.S. is not all good news for Colorado. The state remains among the top four in the nation in marijuana use and suicides. The percentage of low-weight births continues to rise and spending on higher education is among the lowest in the nation, the Statistical Abstract of the United States reported. The report rates the states in such categories as consumer prices, health prospects, education and crime. For Colorado, it found: . Disposable income rose from $20,124 in 1990 to $26,332 in 2002, taking into account inflation. Only eight other states ranked higher. . Births to teen mothers declined from 11.3 percent of births in 1990 to 10.2 percent in 2001. The percent of babies born with low weights went the opposite direction, rising from 8 percent to 8.5 percent. . The amount of toxic chemicals fell 84 percent, from 15.4 million pounds in 1988 to 2.5 million pounds in 2001. That's about twice as fast as the national decline. . Funds for state road projects almost doubled, from $922 million in 1995 to $1.6 billion in 2001. Stacey Stegman, state Transportation Department spokeswoman, credited state legislation that earmarked funds for priority projects and the advent of the T-REX project along Interstate 25 for the hike. But other indicators were not as rosy, as the state's relative youth and affluence worked against it. Colorado ranked third nationally in the incidence of marijuana use and use of any illicit drug, according to a 2001 survey. It found 7.4 percent of residents 12 and older used marijuana at least once a month. Vermont and Maine had higher rates. "We have a number of things that conspire against us," said Bruce Mendelson, director of data evaluation for the state's alcohol and drug abuse office. "We are a younger recreational state. We are in the middle of the country, in the middle of the (drug) trafficking patterns. We've got a major international airport." Mendelson said Colorado has traditionally been one of the highest marijuana-using states. The state also ranked high in suicides, 16.3 for every 100,000 residents. Only Montana, New Mexico and Wyoming had higher rates. Barbara O'Brien, executive director of the Colorado Children's Campaign, said suicide tends to be a "white, suburban affliction" more prevalent in the West. "We have a large affluent suburban population," O'Brien said. In addition, she said access to guns in Colorado makes suicide attempts more deadly. "This is going to sound grim, but we have a high success rate in attempted suicides," she said. She said there is no clear-cut reason for why the percentage of babies born with low weights continues to climb in Colorado. She thinks the state's rising population, combined with cutbacks in health facilities offering prenatal care, is a big factor. "Community health clinics say they have waiting lists all over the state for people trying to get access to care," she said. On the other hand, the decline in teen births is a national trend spurred by the drumbeat against early pregnancies and the resulting parenthood responsibilities, and welfare reform that requires recipients to get jobs, she said. "Suddenly, you can't just be a teen anymore," O'Brien said. Colorado did buck the national trend toward residents fleeing rural areas for the cities. Between 1990 and 2000, the state saw the percentage of residents living outside metropolitan areas rise from 15.6 percent to 16.1 percent, the report said. That, said state demographer Jim Westkott, is the result of Western Slope growth in resort areas outpacing Front Range growth. "It's the people that work up there, that build them and service them," Westkott said. On taxes: The good news is that Denver, compared with 29 other cities, had the second lowest percentage of income paid for local and state taxes, 4.3 percent for someone earning $25,000. The bad news: Coloradans paid the eighth highest per capita federal income taxes in 2000, $4,242. - --- MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin