I just peeped a little tidbit about marijuana use on the rise…
“Overall, 8.9 percent of the U.S. population or 22.6 million Americans aged 12 and older used illicit drugs in 2010, up from 8.7 percent in 2009 and 8 percent in 2008, according to the survey by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration…. Gil Kerlikowske, director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy in the United States, said increases are especially prominent in states in which medical marijuana use is legal. [LINK]“
Well, it would seem that marijuana use is on the rise acoording to statistics. But, is it the rise in use or the rise in people willing to admit that they’re users? See, my thinking is, because the rise is mainly in medical marijuana states, these people are people who feel comfortable admitting to using marijuana as some states’ laws provide a safety net against the detrimental effects of marijuana – arrest records and employment termination.
So, is it that marijuana use is up or the amount of people willing to admit they use is on the rise?
So, yes, marijuana use is definitely up, on the rise, skyrocketing, if you will. But, there are still so many people who have not admitted to using marijuana, understandably. Personally, I think at least 25% of this nation smokes marijuana regularly whether it be daily, weekly, or monthly.
So, prepare for that explosion in marijuana use when it’s legalized. Most “new” users will be full of longtime tokers and ex-smokers. Then, you’ll have a bunch of truly new users finally jumping on board to try it out. I would love to see the numbers then.
