Marijuana Use and Perceived Risk of Harm from Marijuana Use Varies Within and Across States

Abstract

Background: Attitudes about the risks associated with substance use are often closely related to their use. As states have been at the center of efforts to monitor marijuana use, examining the percentages of people using marijuana and attitudes about the risks associated with using marijuana provides needed policy information. Method: Combined 2012 to 2014 National Surveys on Drug Use and Health (NSDUHs) state (including the District of Columbia) estimates of past month marijuana use and perceptions of great risk of harm from smoking marijuana once a month among people aged 12 or older were analyzed in 362 substate regions. Because of revisions to substate boundaries, the 2012 to 2014 estimates are not compared with estimates from prior years. Results: Findings in this report suggest that there is a significant negative relationship between marijuana use and perceived great risk of use at the substate level across the United States. For example, substate regions with higher percentages of marijuana use were more likely to have lower percentages of the population who think there is great risk in using marijuana, whereas substate regions with lower percentages of marijuana use tend to have higher percentages of the population who think there is great risk in using marijuana. Conclusion: Highlighting the percentage of people using marijuana and attitudes toward use in each state and substate area may help to raise awareness about the consequences of marijuana use and to improve prevention efforts.