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HUB GOES TO POT
Study: Rocky Mountains high but Hub gets Higher
Boston may be at sea lvel on the maps, but its residents are the highest in the country, a federal drug abuse report says.
More than 12 percent of people over the age of 12 admitted to having used pot within the last month when recently surveyed, the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration reported yesterday.
Behind Boston, which ranked No.1 in the country, five of the top 15 regions with the highest rates of marijuna use were in Massachusetts.
"It's not a surprise to see Boston and other places in Mass. ranking so high," said Michael Botticelli, assistant commissioner for substance abuse services at the state Department of Public Health, noting the more than 200,000 college students in Boston.
"While i certainly think college use is a factor, i don't that diminishes our concern," he said.
But don't blame college kids entirely. The researchers whose findings were released yesterday steered clear of droms.
Botticelli said increased pot use in the state has already caught the attention of Lt. Gov. Kerry Healey and state lawmakers, leading to legislationboosting funding for substance abuse services by $20 million in the past year, including initiatives targeting college students.
...Many locals said they were surprised at Boston's ranking as top pot-smoking state, but admitted they knew many people who use the drug recreationally--including many high school students or even younger.
...Regions with the lowest rates of pot use are Northern Iowa and southern Texas, where less than 3% of those surveyed reported recent use.