drug usage by substate regions in the U.S.

June 17, 2005 2:11 PM

Where are the areas in the United States with highest marijuana use? Where are the areas with the lowest? A different kind of red versus blue. But wait, there's more, especially if you would prefer to be binge drinking to wash away those lonesome blues. And a list of information broken down by drug, if your fix is more obscure.
posted by nervousfritz (48 comments total)

See that little red spot in the middle of Ohio?
That's me.
posted by putzface_dickman at 2:19 PM on June 17, 2005

Dude! Look at Massachusetts!
posted by Mayor Curley at 2:21 PM on June 17, 2005

I'd be interested to see such a map about metamphetamine use, but they're only covering MJ, cocaine, tobacco and alcohol.
posted by clevershark at 2:21 PM on June 17, 2005

Apparently it's true what they say about Alaska.
posted by clevershark at 2:22 PM on June 17, 2005

Interesting that the area in Washington DC with the highest (sorry for the pun) average marijuana use rate is the area encompassing the Capitol and the White House.
posted by QuestionableSwami at 2:25 PM on June 17, 2005

Wow, what's up with western Colorado? That one was the only surprise for me on that map. That area doesn't even seem to include Boulder. Maybe Mormons heading across the border?
posted by gurple at 2:25 PM on June 17, 2005

The map is really misleading though with the white areas being a mid-level usage.

Interesting stuff though. I like how Northern California's all red, just like our eyes.
posted by fenriq at 2:26 PM on June 17, 2005

p_d rocks.
posted by fingers_of_fire at 2:28 PM on June 17, 2005

fenriq writes "I like how Northern California's all red"

Isn't the famous/infamous Humboldt County located in that very red area?
posted by clevershark at 2:35 PM on June 17, 2005

clevershark: Regarding meth use, that white swath on the marijuana map formed by the rural sections of Nebraska and Kansas is quite densely populated by meth labs.
posted by Derive the Hamiltonian of... at 2:40 PM on June 17, 2005

High cocaine usage in Delaware?
posted by Tlogmer at 2:40 PM on June 17, 2005

Eastern Washington is a lot less red than us out by Seattle, but that's because they're too busy growing all our pot to smoke it.
posted by gurple at 2:43 PM on June 17, 2005

Every motherfucker in Tennessee lied!
posted by brittney at 2:44 PM on June 17, 2005

Maine and South Carolina surprised me. I've never been to the former, but I didn't realize weed is so popular up there. And I suspect a lot of folks in the Palmetto State are being awfully reticent about admitting their recreational choices; when I worked in a call center in Columbia, I had plenty of offers to go get high after work.
posted by alumshubby at 2:48 PM on June 17, 2005

p_d, you're carrying a whole state by yourself? damn.

if i'm ever swing through central ohio, i'm going to have to help you out. because i'm nice like that. i'm sure austin will continue to handle itself nicely while i'm gone, too.
posted by lord_wolf at 2:53 PM on June 17, 2005

Isn't the famous/infamous Humboldt County located in that very red area?
Yep. Also includes Shasta County, which is the largest meth producer on the west coast. Also lots of government-protected forest, which is rife with guys with guns growing weed.
posted by muddgirl at 2:55 PM on June 17, 2005

Wow, as a Coloradan I never would have guess that we were in the top three brackets for every drug they have except tobacco.

What the hell? And Colorado seems to have some of the highest concentrations of coke users around. What the hell?

And the folks on the Western Slope are all potheads?

Once again, what the hell?
posted by teece at 2:57 PM on June 17, 2005

What's with all the cocaine use in DC? Makes me want to watch C-Span.
posted by plexiwatt at 3:04 PM on June 17, 2005

Dear North Dakota,

Would you like to come over and split a case of Leinie's?

Your Friend,
Wisconsin
posted by Hlewagast at 3:14 PM on June 17, 2005

Interesting that the clocks in Alaska, the land of Murkowski and Stevens, seem to be stuck on 4:20.
posted by gramschmidt at 3:21 PM on June 17, 2005

Only 5.1% of all Americans use marijuana? That's crap. How dumb do you have to be to own up to drug use to government researchers, anyway?
posted by kjh at 3:30 PM on June 17, 2005

gurple
keep it on the q.t., you want the feds to find out?
'snicker' *cough, cough, cough* (looks around for munchies. . . )
posted by mk1gti at 3:35 PM on June 17, 2005

kjh, those numbers are suspect, if only due to the observation that consumption of alcohol according to these surveys, is underestimated by 40-50% when compared to sales tally.
posted by Gyan at 3:36 PM on June 17, 2005

I LOVE THAT DIRTYBONG WATER. BOSTON YOU'RE MY HOME.
posted by VulcanMike at 3:49 PM on June 17, 2005

Maine and South Carolina surprised me.

Ok, all you damned tokers in S. Maine need to stop holding out and contact me, because I haven't seen shit around here, either.
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 3:55 PM on June 17, 2005

putzface_dickman, was this guy anybody you know?
posted by alumshubby at 3:57 PM on June 17, 2005

Yeah, I was out there a few years back and I was amazed at all the tokers who were a puffin' in Beantown. All upper-class puffers too. Such big houses. . . Such big spliffs . . .
posted by mk1gti at 4:02 PM on June 17, 2005

Looks like the Republican / Democrat map from the last election. Or maybe someone said that.
posted by mert at 4:06 PM on June 17, 2005

What's up with New York? It's all white, including NYC, but it's not divided into smaller areas (like, for example, Illinois, in which the white area is subdivided despite no change in percentage). Did they do the survey differently there, or did New York opt out, or am I just reading too much into that expanse of color?
posted by goatdog at 4:17 PM on June 17, 2005

Interesting that the area in Washington DC with the highest (sorry for the pun) average marijuana use rate is the area encompassing the Capitol and the White House.

If you knew anyone who'd ever worked on The Hill, you wouldn't be so surprised.
posted by Cyrano at 4:29 PM on June 17, 2005

New York is divided into NYC and the rest of New York, and you can't really see NYC (when it's different from the state) on the map.
posted by TheOnlyCoolTim at 4:30 PM on June 17, 2005

Interesting that the area in Washington DC with the highest (sorry for the pun) average marijuana use rate is the area encompassing the Capitol and the White House.

If you knew anyone who'd ever worked on The Hill, you wouldn't be so surprised.
posted by Cyrano at 4:32 PM on June 17, 2005

Now, then, here is the REAL question... Exempting Utah for a variety of reasons, could someone cross-correllate all of this and conclude which state -or even county- is the least-stressful to live in?

As defined, of course, by having the lowest usage of ANY drugs. (not undeservedly, I don't think)

And Utah is right out since A)everything is illegal, and B)they're almost certainly lying anyway.
posted by InnocentBystander at 4:53 PM on June 17, 2005

Living in the U-district in Seattle isn't so bad if it weren't for my piggish housemates never cleaning up after themselves (smoke steaming out of ears)
posted by mk1gti at 5:01 PM on June 17, 2005

I find it interesting that the heaviest Marijuana use areas roughly correspond to very heavy technology areas. (Northern California, Bay Area, Portland, Seattle, Northwest/Cascadia, Massachusetts/Boston and Denver.)

See that slightly red splotch in the middle of Texas? That's Austin. Holy crap that town has a lot of headshops - only town I've ever been to that has a chain of headshops. If you restricted the data even further to counties or townships, it'd probably be even more distinct.

They obviously didn't take this survey around Labor Day. Otherwise there would be a bright Day Glo orange spot in the Northwest of Nevada.
posted by loquacious at 5:10 PM on June 17, 2005

What's going on with western colorado?
posted by delmoi at 5:31 PM on June 17, 2005

Anyway, all this map really represents is how likely someone is to lie to a pollster by state.
posted by delmoi at 5:35 PM on June 17, 2005

Iowa has the lowest pot use? Yeah, right. Not while I was living in Iowa City, it didn't. I lived there in the early 90s, and it seemed like everyone was smoking grass.
posted by squirrel at 6:15 PM on June 17, 2005

I love the alcohol map. Wisconsin represent!
posted by MikeMc at 7:50 PM on June 17, 2005

This only confirms what I've known for awhile: all my neighbors are, in fact, serious stoners. NORCAL!!! Whoo! Also, Loquacious, there's not a lot of tech stuff going on north of San Francisco. Mostly agriculture, rural communities, wilderness. (See muddgirl: "guys with guns growing weed")
posted by slimslowslider at 9:13 PM on June 17, 2005

Ok, all you damned tokers in S. Maine need to stop holding out and contact me, because I haven't seen shit around here, either.

C_D, seriously? Portland is the only town I've ever lived in where I regularly smell pot just walking down the street in the middle of the day.

And my apartment building is like an Amsterdam coffee shop. Mellow, professional, but always fragrant.
posted by damn yankee at 11:20 PM on June 17, 2005

I knew I should have gone to Boston U.
posted by ackeber at 1:00 AM on June 18, 2005

Apparently it's true what they say about Alaska.

clevershark, someone got your joke.

at least i think i did...

you were talking about "baked" alaska, right?
posted by Hat Maui at 1:32 AM on June 18, 2005

As a NorCal native, I've got to step up and say something in the defense of, uh... well, they're a good bunch of folks. Not gun-toters all. Yeah, sure, draw an east-west line right through Sacramento; everything north is rural, except for Redding, which actually used to be a cool little hick city. Now it's a warning beacon for box store developers. Strip malls seem to be doing fine, though, whenever I go through. Ah, August nights outside the Little Caesars...
posted by squirrel at 2:07 AM on June 18, 2005

Ok, all you damned tokers in S. Maine need to stop holding out and contact me, because I haven't seen shit around here, either.

Have to second Damn Yankee here, C_D. There's pot aplenty, and not just in 20-30 something groups. There are a whole lot of back-to-the-land ex-hippies up here, some of whom still live the lifestyle, and some of whom converted to yuppiedom in the 80s without giving up the habit.
posted by miss tea at 4:52 AM on June 18, 2005

Thanks for giving me some hope.
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 6:20 AM on June 18, 2005

Why do I live in Utah? I must've been stoned when I moved here.
posted by effwerd at 9:23 AM on June 18, 2005

Notice C_D didn't say "giving me some dope"? What do they say about a friend in need?
posted by squirrel at 10:38 PM on June 20, 2005