New Statistics on Marijuana Use

Today the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment released new statistics on adult marijuana use in Colorado.  The data reveals that 13.6% of Colorado adults use marijuana.  Other data includes male vs. female use (men are more likely to use); education level and habitual use (use is lower among adults with a college education); use is highest among those with less than $25,000 annual household income; among racial groups, use by blacks is highest, followed by whites, then Hispanics, then others; and use by GLBT adults is higher than among heterosexuals, according to the findings.  Other results show that the average age for first trying marijuana is 18, but the number of adults 65+ at age of first try is higher than all other age groups; and, as the opposite of the use/education statistics above, the number of adults who have ever tried marijuana is actually higher among adults with a college education.  Finally, some alarming statistics are presented:  18% of users reported driving after using; and 3.9% of children live in homes where marijuana has been recently used inside.  For more of the health department’s analysis, see this morning’s press release.  For other resources on marijuana in Colorado, search our library’s web catalog.