Maps of drug use in the US

[Kitteh]

More data from this annual study on drug use I previously posted about, this time breaking it down among different states. Figured you guys would love these

% of people having smoked weedadmitted to smoking weed in the past month:


No real surprise; Vermont highest (*rimshot*), Mormonland lowest.

Cocaine is interesting; DC has the highest rate of usage, but overall looks pretty similar to the pot map. I wonder if they were splitting crack cocaine vs powder, that would explain the whiteness of this map:


Alcohol is also stereotypical; Mass has the highest %, the midwest comes in pretty drunk too, Utah is again a huge outlier (though I'd bet the rates there are drastically under-reported for all of these):


"Binge drinking" (I think they defined this as more than five drinks one or two days a week) is more of a rural midwestern thing, though:


And ofc the tobacco belt is in Appalachia and the Deep South:




Also some interesting maps of how many people perceived each of these things as "carrying a huge risk". For the most part an inverse of the usage maps:

[tik 🪀✨]

Thank you so much. I started a thread about this ages ago to little avail. Fascinating stuff, I just wish there was more (ecstacy, methamphetamine, psychedelics, etc).

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

Amazing that Californians voted to keep one of the lowest rates of cigarette taxes of any state considering how many see smoking as harmful.

[Kitteh]

Thank you so much. I started a thread about this ages ago to little avail. Fascinating stuff, I just wish there was more (ecstacy, methamphetamine, psychedelics, etc).

Yeah, definitely, they left out some of the most interesting ones (we all know Vermont, Colorado, and Washington love pot and Wisconsin drinks a lot). Heroin as well I'd like to see a map of. Maybe if I have free time this weekend (read: if I decide to procrastinate on the papers that are theoretically due somewhat soon) I'll make some maps myself of those, the data should be accessible on the study website.

Amazing that Californians voted to keep one of the lowest rates of cigarette taxes of any state considering how many see smoking as harmful.

More proof that the initiative process is incredibly vulnerable to manipulation by whoever has the most cash.

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

Very interesting, and I'm glad you posted these. Gotta love Utah.

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

Fascinating stuff, I just wish there was more (ecstacy, methamphetamine, psychedelics, etc).

What a wonderful quote to pull and use out of context

[tik 🪀✨]

I thought the same after posting

[Starbucks Union Thug HokeyPuck]

Lol @ Utah.  Whatever you say, guys.

[Sbane]

I would be interested in a map of prescription opiate abuse. I wouldn't be surprised if Tennessee is number one.

[Kitteh]

I would be interested in a map of prescription opiate abuse. I wouldn't be surprised if Tennessee is number one.

lol, I forgot that one, sorry, that was the only other one they had a map of:

[The Free North]

So North Dakota is the binge drinking capital of the US


and Vermont lights up more than anyone else


Sounds about right

[Pheurton Skeurto]

"aged 12 or older" is really disturbing, but i can't say I'm surprised @ Utah and the deep South.

[opebo]

So Vermont is the best state.

[Link]

Cocaine is interesting; DC has the highest rate of usage, but overall looks pretty similar to the pot map. I wonder if they were splitting crack cocaine vs powder, that would explain the whiteness of this map:

I really wonder what that statement is supposed to mean.

[The Free North]

Cocaine is interesting; DC has the highest rate of usage, but overall looks pretty similar to the pot map. I wonder if they were splitting crack cocaine vs powder, that would explain the whiteness of this map:

I really wonder what that statement is supposed to mean.

African americans tend to use crack cocaine, while wealthy whites prefer powder

[Link]

Cocaine is interesting; DC has the highest rate of usage, but overall looks pretty similar to the pot map. I wonder if they were splitting crack cocaine vs powder, that would explain the whiteness of this map:

I really wonder what that statement is supposed to mean.

African americans tend to use crack cocaine, while wealthy whites prefer powder

So?

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

Cocaine is interesting; DC has the highest rate of usage, but overall looks pretty similar to the pot map. I wonder if they were splitting crack cocaine vs powder, that would explain the whiteness of this map:

I really wonder what that statement is supposed to mean.

African americans tend to use crack cocaine, while wealthy whites prefer powder

So?

Given the stereotypical patterns of drug use, this map does tend to show lower levels of use than might be expected from areas blacks are a higher proportion of the population.  So I took the question as being is this because the map is not including crack use, or are us honkeys snorting so much snow that it dwarfs the use of crack?

[Wake Me Up When The Hard Border Ends]

Very interesting, and I'm glad you posted these. Gotta love Utah.

I only drink alcohol out of all the drugs on these maps, and never to excess or frequently, as I consider drunkenness a sin, so I'm pleased to see Utah's results on this map.

Lol @ Utah.  Whatever you say, guys.

What makes you think Utahns would lie about drug/alcohol use?

"aged 12 or older" is really disturbing, but i can't say I'm surprised @ Utah and the deep South.

We may not agree on too much else, but I agree with you here, they should have done a survey of adults aged 18 and over, and one a minor drug abuse study/map separately. Granted, you can't buy alcohol/tobacco in the US until you're 21, but Americans are adults in virtually adults in every other sense when they turn 18 (can someone please correct me if I'm wrong?)

I must say, looking at the maps:

• Oregon really stands out regarding non-medical use of pain relievers, are they easier to get without a prescription there?
• Wisconsin, Massachusetts and Colorado all have widely-known breweries (Miller, Samuel Adams and Coors respectively), which might partially explain the high alcohol usage rate in those states. Missouri, where Anheuser-Busch is located, has a lower rate of alcohol consumption, primarily from a higher rate of religious adherence than in CO, WI or MA, and a lower rate of binge alcohol consumption as well.
• Georgia's tobacco usage rate is significantly lower than all the other Deep South states, does anyone know why?

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

Granted, you can't buy alcohol/tobacco in the US until you're 21, but Americans are adults in virtually adults in every other sense when they turn 18 (can someone please correct me if I'm wrong?)

You're wrong.   Most states have a minimum age to purchase tobacco of 18, tho four (Alabama, Alaska, New Jersey, and of course Utah) have an age of 19.  However, only Alabama and Florida make it illegal to possess tobacco if you're underage.

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

Granted, you can't buy alcohol/tobacco in the US until you're 21, but Americans are adults in virtually adults in every other sense when they turn 18 (can someone please correct me if I'm wrong?)

You're wrong.   Most states have a minimum age to purchase tobacco of 18, tho four (Alabama, Alaska, New Jersey, and of course Utah) have an age of 19.  However, only Alabama and Florida make it illegal to possess tobacco if you're underage.

[Kitteh]

Granted, you can't buy alcohol/tobacco in the US until you're 21, but Americans are adults in virtually adults in every other sense when they turn 18 (can someone please correct me if I'm wrong?)

You're wrong.   Most states have a minimum age to purchase tobacco of 18, tho four (Alabama, Alaska, New Jersey, and of course Utah) have an age of 19.  However, only Alabama and Florida make it illegal to possess tobacco if you're underage.

Also, ofc, whether it's legal to buy tobacco and whether places will actually card you for it really varies. ime, when i was in hs in cali people who smoked had to have fake IDs or ask seniors to buy it for them, whereas when I moved to Virginia/DC junior/senior year most kids could buy it without ever being asked. Anecdotal, ofc, but it squares with the data on tobacco usage here.

Lol @ Utah.  Whatever you say, guys.

What makes you think Utahns would lie about drug/alcohol use?

Because people always lie in polls about socially unacceptable topics. I'm sure some Vermonters are lying about their drug usage too. It makes sense that places where drugs are most socially stigmatized are the most likely to lie about them.

[Wake Me Up When The Hard Border Ends]

Granted, you can't buy alcohol/tobacco in the US until you're 21, but Americans are adults in virtually adults in every other sense when they turn 18 (can someone please correct me if I'm wrong?)

You're wrong.   Most states have a minimum age to purchase tobacco of 18, tho four (Alabama, Alaska, New Jersey, and of course Utah) have an age of 19.  However, only Alabama and Florida make it illegal to possess tobacco if you're underage.

Also, ofc, whether it's legal to buy tobacco and whether places will actually card you for it really varies. ime, when i was in hs in cali people who smoked had to have fake IDs or ask seniors to buy it for them, whereas when I moved to Virginia/DC junior/senior year most kids could buy it without ever being asked. Anecdotal, ofc, but it squares with the data on tobacco usage here.

Lol @ Utah.  Whatever you say, guys.

What makes you think Utahns would lie about drug/alcohol use?

Because people always lie in polls about socially unacceptable topics. I'm sure some Vermonters are lying about their drug usage too. It makes sense that places where drugs are most socially stigmatized are the most likely to lie about them.

True Federalist thanks for that, so US tobacco laws are like Canada's alcohol laws then, where the respective states/provinces can decide.

For the record, the minimum age to purchase alcohol and tobacco down here in Australia is 18.

Katzenbaby, we have a law down here that if you look under 25, the attendant is meant to ask for ID when buying alcohol or tobacco, it's very rarely enforced though, although I've always looked older than I am, so I'm probably not the best person to ask.

And you're right, some people from all states would lie, although I'm sure even with the liars, Utah's drug/alcohol use figures would still be lower than most, if not all the other states.

[Link]

Cocaine is interesting; DC has the highest rate of usage, but overall looks pretty similar to the pot map. I wonder if they were splitting crack cocaine vs powder, that would explain the whiteness of this map:

I really wonder what that statement is supposed to mean.

African americans tend to use crack cocaine, while wealthy whites prefer powder

So?

Given the stereotypical patterns of drug use, this map does tend to show lower levels of use than might be expected from areas blacks are a higher proportion of the population.  So I took the question as being is this because the map is not including crack use, or are us honkeys snorting so much snow that it dwarfs the use of crack?

I see.  Well I'm not sure why those guys took a perfectly good map and screwed it up with stereotypes.  I mean what's the point of looking at data if you are just going to ignore it and use debunked stereotypes?  It's odd but I guess not surprising that CTRattlesnake thinks African Americans are a monolithic group.  Mississippi has a large black population percentage wise.  I wonder if he thinks rural African Americans have the same pattern of drug use as urban African Americans in Chicago.

It's probably best for Katzenbaby to accept the data he presented and question why his expectations deviate so markedly from reality.  It would also be helpful for people to realize that there are other races in the United States other than black and white.  In short all the analysis of that map in this forum has been biased, simplistic, and pretty much dead wrong.

[Mechaman]

Cocaine is interesting; DC has the highest rate of usage, but overall looks pretty similar to the pot map. I wonder if they were splitting crack cocaine vs powder, that would explain the whiteness of this map:

I really wonder what that statement is supposed to mean.

African americans tend to use crack cocaine, while wealthy whites prefer powder

So?

Given the stereotypical patterns of drug use, this map does tend to show lower levels of use than might be expected from areas blacks are a higher proportion of the population.  So I took the question as being is this because the map is not including crack use, or are us honkeys snorting so much snow that it dwarfs the use of crack?

I see.  Well I'm not sure why those guys took a perfectly good map and screwed it up with stereotypes.  I mean what's the point of looking at data if you are just going to ignore it and use debunked stereotypes?  It's odd but I guess not surprising that CTRattlesnake thinks African Americans are a monolithic group.  Mississippi has a large black population percentage wise.  I wonder if he thinks rural African Americans have the same pattern of drug use as urban African Americans in Chicago.

It's probably best for Katzenbaby to accept the data he presented and question why his expectations deviate so markedly from reality.  It would also be helpful for people to realize that there are other races in the United States other than black and white.  In short all the analysis of that map in this forum has been biased, simplistic, and pretty much dead wrong.

YEah.

There's nothing really to conclude here except that cocaine is a hell of a drug.