Pubdate: Thu, 16 Jun 2005
Source: Salem News (MA)
Copyright: 2005 Essex County Newspapers
Contact:  http://www.salemnews.com
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3466
Author: Kevin Freking, Associated Press
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?420 (Cannabis - Popular)

FEDERAL REPORT RANKS MASSACHUSETTS AMONG HIGHEST IN MARIJUANA USE

WASHINGTON (AP) - Both college towns, Boston and Boulder, Colo.,  share 
another distinction: They lead the nation in marijuana use. 
Northwestern  Iowa and southern Texas have the lowest use.

For the first time, the government looked at the use of drugs, cigarettes, 
alcohol and various other substances, legal as well as illegal, by region 
rather  than by state for a report yesterday.

Regions could be as specific as Riverside, Calif., or as broad as all of 
the state of New York (minus New York City). Federal officials say the 
information  will help states decide where they should spend money for 
treatment and prevention programs.

For marijuana, 5.1 percent of people around the country reported using 
marijuana in the previous 30 days. In Boston, the home of Boston 
University, Boston College, Northeastern and several other colleges - 
Harvard and MIT are in neighboring Cambridge, Mass. - 12.2 percent reported 
using marijuana in the previous 30 days.

In Boulder County, the home of the University of Colorado, 10.3 percent 
reported using marijuana during the same time period. John Auerbach, 
executive director of the public health commission for the city of Boston, 
said the survey might not reflect current marijuana use in Boston because 
the data came from 1999-2001 national surveys. "All that said, we're not 
surprised that substance abuse is a serious issue in the Boston area," 
Auerbach said. "The mayor and the health department have made the issue of 
substance abuse a top public health priority." Auerbach also acknowledged 
that the data may reflect the city's significant 20-something population.

"College students in general have a more relaxed attitude about marijuana 
than other age groups. But in general, I don't think Boston has a markedly 
differently perspective on marijuana than other parts of the country." 
Other areas of Massachusetts also reported relatively high marijuana use on 
the government survey: southeast Massachusetts at 9.53 percent and central 
Massachusetts at 9 percent.

Federal officials said they highlighted the marijuana report because it's 
the most commonly used illicit drug. But the survey also measures 11 other 
categories.

For example, the survey measures binge drinking - defined as five or more 
drinks in one setting.

Nationally, 20 percent of people age 12 and older reported one or more 
episodes of binge drinking during the previous month. Boston scored high in 
that category, too, with nearly 30 percent of respondents acknowledging 
binge drinking.

But the Northeast and Southeast regions of North Dakota reported binge 
drinking among 32 percent of residents of that age group. Overall, North 
Dakota had the highest rate of binge drinking when compared with other 
states - 29.2 percent. "The further north you are, typically, the more 
alcohol is consumed," said Douglas Wright, a mathematical statistician with 
the federal government who helped put the report together.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom