NORML: Marijuana Use By The Numbers

Marijuana Use By The Numbers
September 10th, 2009

By: Paul Armentano, NORML Deputy Director


The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has once again released their annual survey on “drug use and health” — you know, the one where representatives of the federal government go door-to-door and ask Americans if they are presently breaking state and federal law by using illicit drugs. The same survey where respondents have historically under reported their usage of alcohol and tobacco — these two legal substances — by as much as 30 to 50 percent, and arguably under report their use of illicit substances by an even greater margin. The same survey that — despite these inherent limitations — “is the primary source of statistical information on the use of illegal drugs by the U.S. population.” Yeah, that one.

So what does the government’s latest round of ’statistical (though highly questionable) information’ tell us? Nothing we didn’t already know.

Despite 70+ years of criminal prohibition, marijuana still remains widely popular among Americans, with over 102 million Americans (41 percent of the U.S. population) having used it during their lifetimes, 26 million (10 percent) having used it in the past year, and over 15 million (6 percent) admitting that they use it regularly. (By contrast, fewer than 15 percent of adults have ever tried cocaine, the second most ‘popular’ illicit drug, and fewer than 2 percent have ever tried heroin — so much for that supposed ‘gateway effect.’) Predictably, all of the 2008 marijuana use figures are higher than those that were reported for the previous year — great work John Walters!

Equally predictably, the government’s long-standing prohibition and anti-pot ’scare’ campaigns have done little, if anything, to dissuade young people from trying it. According to the survey, 15 percent of those age 14 to 15 have tried pot (including 12 percent in the past year), as have 31 percent of those age 16 to 17 (a quarter of which have done so in the past year) — percentages that make marijuana virtually as popular as alcohol among these age groups. By age 20, 45 percent of adolescents have tried pot, and nearly a third of those age 18 to 20 have done so in the past year. And by age 25, 54 percent of the population has admittedly used marijuana.

Question: Does anyone still believe that marijuana prohibition is working — or that all of these people deserve to be behind bars? ...........(more)

The complete piece is at: http://blog.norml.org/2009/09/10/marijuana-use-by-the-numbers/

and Youth.Alcohol has caused 20 times more grief, than pot ever did ,I'm very bias.

Prohibition is so ridiculous ~ probably continues partly to keep big pharma happy. Congress doesn't represent us.

I mean, how many decades before we understand that prohibition doesn't work?

I fully support decriminalization...a waste of time, money and resources, however, our government is in no position these days to walk and chew gum at the same time yet to have a real, objective look at decriminalization. This is and will be a states right issue for the forseeable future.

Over turning the ban on Corporation Contributions to campaigns, are the most Pressing Issues of the day.

there is some pretty bad logic in that text. Since, as the author points out, people are likely to underreport the use of illegal drugs the numbers can't be used to argue against a gaitway effect. It is certainly possible, and frankly probable, that many people would be willing to truethfully report the use of marijuana while simultaniously lie and say they weren't using cocaine or heroin since both cocain and heroin are drugs with significantly worse reputations.