Rhode Islanders continue to use marijuana and illicit drugs at the highest rates in the nation, according to a recently released annual survey.
In no other state did as many people report having used marijuana in the past month: 14 percent of those age 12 and older, up from 13 percent the previous year, according to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Rhode Island was also tops for those who reported having used marijuana in the previous year: 20 percent, up from 19 percent.
Extra scrutiny is being applied across the country to this year’s survey as some states move to relax marijuana laws. Rhode Island is among 23 states and the District of Columbia that now permit the sale of medical marijuana for licensed patients, and a coalition is forming here to make Rhode Island the fifth state to legalize marijuana.
