About 23 percent of Americans are frequently binge drinkers and 6.2 percent use marijuana monthly, according to the newly released National Surveys on Drug Use and Health from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).USA Today reported Feb. 13 that the annual survey, conducted in 2002 and 2003 and involving 136,000 Americans, found that 22.6 percent of those surveyed said they had gone on a drinking binge -- defined as having more than five drinks at a sitting -- during the previous month.
The survey sought to make state-by-state comparisons regarding use of alcohol and other drugs. For example, researchers said that the states with the highest rates of marijuana use were Alaska, Colorado, Montana, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont.
Colorado, Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin all had drinking rates well above the national average. Binge drinking was especially prevalent in Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont, and Wisconsin, the study said.
Utah had the lowest levels of recent alcohol and other drug use and binge drinking.
Overall drug dependency was highest in Arizona, Colorado, Louisiana, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Rhode Island, and Vermont.
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