Which State Smokes The Most Marijuana?

There’s a new ‘National Survey on Drug Use and Health’ out, which shows how many citizens in each state reported smoking marijuana monthly. Which state has the highest marijuana consumption per capita? It’s not the state you would think. I would have guessed a West Coast state or Colorado. However, it turns out that Rhode Island has the highest marijuana use per capita in the United States. Per the Washington Post:

State-level statistics from the latest National Survey on Drug Use and Health (rather unfortunately acronymed NSDUH) show that just over 1 in 8 Rhode Island residents over age 12 smoke marijuana monthly. This is more than three times the rate in Kansas, where only 4 percent of residents regularly indulge.

Nationally about 7 percent of Americans over age 12 have used marijuana in the past month. Western states tend to have the highest rate of usage, at 9 percent, followed by the Northeast. The South has the lowest overall rate at 5.83 percent.

I was pleased to see that Oregon and Alaska have the highest rate of consumption per capita for people over the age of 25. 11.18% of Alaskans over the age of 25 reported that they consumed marijuana in the last month. Oregon came in at 10.25% in the same category. Why does this please me? Because Oregon and Alaska will be voting on marijuana legalization this November, and a higher consumption rate among those over 25 could translate to ‘yes’ votes in November. There’s no way to know for sure, but it’s encouraging.

This report does not mean that Rhode Island consumes more total marijuana than any other state. It’s per capita, and considering how small Rhode Island is, there’s no way it smokes the most total marijuana. I would suspect that California still has that title, due to the fact that they not only have the largest population, but also marijuana is everywhere in California. I don’t know how easy it is to get marijuana in Rhode Island, but it’s extremely easy in California. All in all, it’s still surprising to see Rhode Island at the top of any list for marijuana, per capita or otherwise.