Drug Use Among Americans. Etc. Emphasis on the Latter
/So this is a big thanks to Paul Waldman, who wrote this must-read piece about marijuana legislation in The Prospect.
I wondered aloud on Twitter how usage of pot breaks down among age groups, because I questioned the dismissal of the "old" as non-users.
Paul kindly replied with link to this [almost literally] dizzying collection of numbers. (Wha?? No executive summary or e-TOC?) And now THIS post by me is a thanks plus an elaboration for Paul.
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SO: Paul, this is the "too detailed for Twitter" part of the reply:
Your brief is useful/interesting. What happens, I wonder, if the "over 65" category is broken down?
Because sure, lump all adults over age 65 and the group, which includes a hefty number of 90somethings, skews to no-or-never. But break that into, say, 65-85 and I predict the skew shifts toward use and by a measurable amount.
And that among the 65-75 cohort, that skew is even more dramatic. (Among people who, I might add, are among the most reliable voters for either major party.)
Heh. 65-75: Refuge of the skew.