Blog Maps Drug Use Across Country

The Economix blog at nytimes.com is putting a new spin on the 2006 and 2007 National Surveys on Drug Use and Health, released in May by the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

Nytimes.com economics editor Catherine Rampell put together several maps on illicit drug use that provide a graphic look on how West Virginia stacks up against the rest of the 50 states in the following categories:

-- Percent of people age 12+ who used illicit drugs in the past month

-- Percent of people age 12+ who used marijuana in the past year

-- Percent of people age 12+ who used illicit drugs other than marijuana in the last month

-- Percent of people age 12+ who used cocaine in the last year

-- Percent of people age 12+ who used alcohol in the last month

-- Percent of people age 12+ with binge alcohol use in the last month

-- Percent of people age 12+ who used tobacco in the last month

-- Percent of people age 12+ who used cigarettes in the past month

If you'd like to know more, there are a lot more maps on the SAMHSA's Web site for the Office of Applied Studies.