New data show 13.6 percent of Colorado adults report current use of marijuana

Special to The SUN

New -data from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment shows 13.6 percent of Colorado adults (age 18 and older) surveyed in 2014 reported current use of marijuana. Current use is defined as having used in the past 30 days.

New questions on the 2014 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey (BRFSS) mark the beginning of data collection about marijuana use following the legalization of retail marijuana in Colorado. This is the first time the department has collected marijuana use data in the survey, so comparisons to past BRFSS data are not possible.

The National Survey of Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), administered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, shows 12.9 percent of Coloradans (age 18 and older) surveyed in 2013 reported current use of marijuana. While the data are from two different surveys, marijuana use by this age group was relatively unchanged, from 12.9 percent in 2013 (NSDUH) to 13.6 percent in 2014 (BRFSS).