A nationwide study has revealed that Vermont is among the highest rates of marijuana use in the country, particularly among those between the ages of 18 and 25. The National Survey on Drug Use and Health is conducted through the State Department’s Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).
A cultural thing
According to the study, a summary of which is available on the Vermont Department of Health Web site, Vermont’s pot usage rate tops the charts in a number of categories.
At the time of the survey, which was conducted in 2006, 9.7 percent of those surveyed in all age ranges said they had used marijuana at least once in the last month, the highest rate in the country. Among 18 to 25-year-olds, the number is even higher, at 28.3 per cent, also the highest in the country for that age group.
Vermonters also smoked pot at a higher rate over the course of that year than other states, the survey says, at 15.5 percent of those surveyed. Both the 12 to 17-year-olds and 18 to 25-year-old age groups also topped this category.
Patty McCarthy is the director of Friends of Recovery VT, an organization based in Montpelier that advocates for
 |
(Photo illustration by Abby Robitaille) |
recovery programs for Vermonters. She believes that liberal attitudes among adults and generations of pot use contribute to the prevalence of marijuana use among youth in the state, she says.
“The culture here is more adults who have continued using marijuana into adulthood,” McCarthy says. “Pot is more accessible to young people because of this adult population.”
Willa Koerner, a junior at Vassar College who grew up in Shelburne, Vt., views marijuana as a cultural norm in Vermont, she says.
“I think people smoke more pot in Vermont because there's noticeably fewer things to do instead of smoking pot, especially in the winter,” Koerner says. “In the summer, I think it enhances the natural beauty of the area for some people. It fits with the politics and culture of Vermont.”
Lacey Walker is a junior at the University of Vermont, and doesn’t think Vermont students are much more involved with the drug than others, she says.
“I grew up in New Jersey, and I haven’t found it to be too much different here than it is there,” she says. “Availability is probably a factor, because a lot of it probably comes down from Canada. The winters are long here, a lot of people need something to do.”
Koerner agrees, and hasn’t noticed a huge difference in the prevalence of marijuana use among people her age since going to school in upstate New York, she says.
“People our age from Vermont are more adamant about smoking pot, but don't necessarily smoke a lot more of it,” she says. “It is more of a cultural thing rather than just a pastime.”
The norm
“Alcohol and marijuana are the biggest problems for youth, according to what we hear from parents,” McCarthy says. “Most don’t move quickly to things like heroin or crack cocaine, but it is quicker than it used to be.”
 |
Although 18-to-25 year olds in the state top the charts in a number of categories in the study, marijuana remains the most prevalent drug in the state overall. (Public domain photo) |
According to the study, Vermont ranks 19th in the nation when it comes to the use of other illegal drugs, with four percent of survey participants admitting to using them in the last month. This statistic does not reflect the rate of use among 18 to 25-year-olds, which is 12.3 per cent, the second highest in the nation.
Marijuana is often referred to as a “gateway drug,” or a drug that can often lead users into trying harder drugs.
While the trend of marijuana as a gateway drug is an issue, this is not the only problem with young people using pot, McCarthy says.
“It’s a major problem on its own,” she says. “It causes a lack of productivity and motivation in teenagers. There aren’t enough services available for kids who start using pot early and start having problems with school and minor offenses. That part of it hasn‘t been addressed, and we need more resources for early intervention.”
While Koerner acknowledges that pot use can lead to bigger problems for some, she does not believe it to be a big danger in and of itself, she says.
“I think it’s pretty much a normal thing for younger people to do,” Koerner says.
Walker agrees, citing boredom as one major factor in the decision of young people to try the drug.
“It’s along the same lines as alcohol, it’s just one of those things that a lot of kids end up experimenting with,” she says. “I think a lot of it comes down to boredom.”
Getting the numbers down
The policy on marijuana in the state could be viewed by some as contradictory.
Despite the high rate of use, there have been recent moves at the state government level to make marijuana laws more lenient, with the state Senate voting to allow those caught in possession of less than an ounce of the
 |
Legislation at the state level could lessen the consequences for possessing small amounts of marijuana, or smoking paraphenelia such as this pipe. (Photo illustration by Abby Robitaille) |
drug to go through court diversion, according to the State of Vermont Legislature Web site.
“They’re sending the wrong message to young people,” McCarthy says of the proposed law.
The Vermont Department of Health is working with SAMHSA to lower the rate of substance abuse in the state using a Stategic Prevention Framework State Incentive Grant. This funding is specifically for reducing both alcohol and marijuana use among those under the age of 25.
They also sponsor a number of prevention programs through their Division of Alcohol and Drug Abuse, including regional consultants, support groups, law enforcement strategies, and programs geared towards educating youth.
“I mostly remember anti-underage drinking and anti-smoking campaigns from when I was in high school,” Koerner says. “We learned about drugs in health classes but I don’t think it was worried about as much.”
Of the state's prevention efforts, McCarthy says more could be done.
“There have been good efforts, but I think we still have a lot of work to do," she says. “The most important thing is that people who want treatment are able to get it. Vermont has a strong recovery community that wants to get involved.”