The leading source of data on alcohol, tobacco and drug use, and mental health problems has its 2007 data for Colorado available today. In the past month, the perecentage of people aged 12 or older who have done the following (to the nearest percentage point) is:
Used Any Illegal Drug 11%
Used Marijuana 8%
Used A Non-Marijuana Illegal Drug 5%
Used Alcohol 60%
Had Five Or More Alcoholic Drinks At The Same Occasion 26%
Used Tobacco 30%
Among Those Age 18+ in Colorado the percentage to the nearest percentage point who have experienced the following is:
Experienced Significant Psychological Distress (per a clinical scale) 11%
Had A Major Depressive Episode In The Past Year 7%
Substance abuse and mental health issues are intimately tied to criminal justice involvement.
04 June 2009
The Dutch Imprison Few
With a population of 16.6 million, the Dutch prison population is about 12,000. With its population of 36.7 million, California should have a bit more than double the Dutch prison population. California’s actual prison population is 171,000.
The Dutch also have much more permissive drug use and prostitution laws. Crime is declining in the Netherlands.
A generation ago, Colorado had a similar incarceration rate to the Dutch. Colorado now has about a little more than a quarter of the population of the Netherlands (about 4.6 million) and almost twice as many people in prison (23,000); but Colorado has only about 2,500 people in prison in 1980 when it had 2.9 million people.
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