Nearly half of Larimer County young adults used weed in a year

Marijuana use in Larimer County spiked following legalization of recreational use, according to a survey by the Health District of Northern Larimer County.

Almost a third of adults used it in the 12 months prior to the survey, which was conducted in fall 2016, including almost half of people ages 18-34. 

Of those respondents who did use marijuana, more than a third used it an average of once a week or more in that time frame. About half used it between one and 12 times.

The starkest change in use happened in southern Larimer County, where Loveland is the population center. In 2013, 56 percent of respondents in southern Larimer County reported that they had never used marijuana; that dropped to 40 percent in 2016.

In the health district's boundaries, which covers the northern half of the county, the shift was a 7-point swing, from 47 to 40 percent saying they had never used marijuana.

The results didn't necessarily surprise marijuana advocates, given the increase in access and consumer trust and decrease in stigma concerning marijuana use.

"Almost half the community has used cannabis," said Max Poling, marketing director for Fort Collins dispensary Infinite Wellness Center. "It's great to see that number rising. We're almost seeing a tipping point as more states come on board (with marijuana legalization). ... It almost feels like it's all about to come toppling down, in terms of that prohibition on use."

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He joked that Thanksgiving time tends to be his favorite time to work at a dispensary because he can see the generational stigmas dropping before him. A young adult might have a favorite concentrate, while his or her baby-boomer parents look for the traditional flower to smoke for a calm evening at home. Meanwhile, grandparents might be looking for topicals or cannabanoids to help with their own ailments.

Aaron Smith, executive director of the National Cannabis Industry Association, echoed Poling, though he highlighted a gray area in the report that lumps 18- to 20-year-olds in with those 21 and older. The health district's survey covers health topics other than marijuana, and demographic categories are the same across all those topics.

Smith, like Poling, emphasized that he's fine with increased cannabis usage as long as it's among the 21-plus crowd.

"If I saw that number rising among the 18- to 20-year-olds, then I'd be more concerned," Smith said. "But if we're talking about use of people above 21, I don't think there'd be any argument against it rising a little bit under a legal regime."

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He and Polling said they expect usage to increase as time goes on, with more people turning to marijuana instead of other intoxicants, such as alcohol.

"Adult use is not a bad thing, especially if adults are using cannabis instead of alcohol," Smith said.