Coloradans Report Drinking Less, Smoking More Pot
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The Mile High State seems to be getting just a bit higher.
Though the laws haven’t changed much, people’s attitudes on the whole in Colorado seem to be getting more permissive toward marijuana smoking. As Mason Tvert, co-author of Marijuana Is Safer: So Why Are We Driving People to Drink?, says in this article from the Denver Post, many adults are looking for a safer alternative to drinking.
It’s way too early to say that this is a step toward legalization and a truly sensible marijuana policy in the state—or the nation—but the fact that more Coloradans are smoking pot may signal a more tolerant atmosphere for recreational pot in general.
Coloradans say they are doing less hard drinking than they did in the past few years but say they are more likely to smoke pot, according to a two-year federal assessment to be released today.
The National Survey on Drug Use and Health found Colorado was the only state to log a decrease in those who think they are at risk to binge- drink since the last study completed in 2006, from 29.8 percent in the previous study to 25.8 percent in the most recent.
Meanwhile, Colorado is one of seven states that notched “significant” increases in teens and adults who say they are more likely to smoke pot at least once a month than those who participated in the last government survey.
“We’ve been saying for some time that many adults want a
safer alternative to drinking,” said Mason Tvert, executive director of the Denver-based pot-legalization group Safer Alternative for Enjoyable Recreation, which has passed two pro-pot public votes in the city since 2006.
The increase in stoners could logically be tied to the rocky economy, said Tvert, co-author of a book to be released in August that measures the economics of getting buzzed, “Marijuana Is Safer: So Why [Are We Driving] People to Drink?”
“The price of pot is inflated because of criminalization,” he said. “Still, people seeking to get intoxicated perceive they get a better deal sitting at home smoking a little pot than going out and spending $30 at a bar to get drunk.”
Art Hughes, a statistician who worked on the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration study, cautioned against sweeping new characterizations from the most recent report, however.
“This isn’t really new news to Colorado, per se,” he said of the state’s use of drugs and alcohol, with a growing favor toward pot.
The report can be found at oas.samhsa.gov/2k7state/TOC.cfm.
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