Pubdate: Fri, 17 Jun 2005
Source: Boston Herald (MA)
Copyright: 2005 The Boston Herald, Inc
Contact:  http://news.bostonherald.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/53
Author:  Kimberly Atkins
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?420 (Cannabis - Popular)

HUB GOES TO POT

Boston may be at sea level on the maps, but its residents are the 
highest  in the country, a federal drug-abuse report says.

More than  12 percent of people over the age of 12 admitted to having used 
pot within the  past month when recently surveyed, the federal Substance 
Abuse and Mental Health  Services Administration reported yesterday. 
Behind  Boston, which ranked No. 1 in the country, five of the top 15 
regions with the  highest rates of marijuana use were in Massachusetts. 
"It's not  a surprise to see Boston and other places in Massachusetts 
ranking so high,"  said Michael Botticelli, assistant commissioner for 
substance abuse services at  the state Department of Public Health, noting 
the more than 200,000 college students in Boston.

"While I  certainly think college use is a factor, I don't think that 
diminishes our  concern," he said.

But don't  blame college kids entirely. The  researchers whose findings 
were released yesterday steered clear of dorms. Botticelli said increased 
pot use in the state has already caught the attention of Lt. Gov.  Kerry 
Healey and state lawmakers, leading to legislation boosting funding 
for  substance abuse services by $20 million in the past year, including 
initiatives  targeting college students.

But Boston  University spokesman Colin Riley said school administrators 
have had little  indication chronic marijuana use is a major problem on 
their campus. "The  number of kids that come to our attention more than 
once is extremely small,"  Riley said.

Many local  residents said they were surprised at Boston's ranking as the 
top pot-smoking  region, but admitted they knew many people who use the 
drug recreationally -  including many in high school and even younger. "I 
know a  lot of people who use it," said 16-year-old Boston College High 
School student  Chris Hallet. "But I am surprised that Boston is No. 1." 
Michael  Cutler, an attorney for NORML, a pro-marijuana legalization group, 
said the  study "shows that prohibition doesn't make a difference." But 
Suffolk  District Attorney's Office spokesman David Procopio disagrees. "We 
stand  firm in believing that marijuana use needs to remain a criminal 
infraction,"  Procopio said, adding that heroin, cocaine and OxyContin - 
not marijuana - are  still the most prevalent street level drugs, according 
to detectives. "But that  doesn't mean that marijuana is not a problem." 
Anti-drug  groups said the numbers belie a bigger issue of self-medication, 
which is  symptomatic of other problems like depression. "Some 
use  marijuana to make them feel good, but some use it to make them feel 
better,"  said David Rosenbloom, director of Join Together, a Boston-based 
substance abuse resource center.

The Hub  edged out Boulder, Colo., where 10.3 percent of those surveyed 
admitted recent  pot use. Regions with the lowest rates of pot use are 
northern Iowa and southern  Texas, where less than 3 percent of those 
surveyed reported recent  use.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom