COLORADANS REPORT DRINKING LESS, SMOKING MORE POT

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
Do We Drive 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 also indicates Colorado leads the nation in the increase
in people 12 or older who smoked a tobacco cigarette in the previous
month, from 26.5 percent to 29.8 percent.

The report also puts Colorado among the top 10 states for:

The highest illicit-drug use in every age category.

Failure of teens and adults who need alcohol treatment to receive it.

Survey takers using cocaine in the past year.

The survey indicates 8.1 percent of the U.S. population 12 or older
used illegal drugs in the previous month, down slightly from the
previous two-year measure.

Iowa had the lowest estimate, at 5.2 percent, and Rhode Island had
the highest, 12.5 percent.

Marijuana is the most popular illicit drug nationwide, as an
estimated 10.2 percent of teenagers and adults used it at least once
in the previous year, the survey found.

Alcohol is still, by far, the vice of choice among Americans,
however. The survey found 51 percent had a drink in the past month,
while 5.9 percent used marijuana during that span.

The findings are based on hour-long interviews with more than 135,000
randomly selected people nationwide.

The report doesn't offer advice but provides local, state and
national policymakers and agencies data on the issues they are
addressing, to make more informed decisions, Hughes said.

The report and raw numbers for each state, to be released today, will
be posted at oas.samhsa.gov/2k7state/TOC.cfm.