In March, 2013 Gallup pollsters released research showing that Colorado has the nation’s lowest obesity rate; 18.7% of adults are obese. This percentage on the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index was the only state to register below 20%. The second place state, Massachusetts, was almost 22%.
But the good news ends there.
The 2012 Statistical Abstract (table 204) reports that Colorado is also one of the most highly ranked states for use of select drugs (A ranking of 1 is worst and 51 is best – Washington, D.C. included) :
- 25th cigarette smoking – 1,007,000 people, or 25.1% of the Colorado population, ages 12+.
- 9th for binge drinking – 1,072,000 people, or 26.7% of the Colorado population, ages 12+.
- 5th for any illicit drug use – 470,000 people, or 11.7% of the Colorado population, ages 12+.
- 4th for marijuana use – 370,000 people, or 9.2% of the Colorado population, ages 12+.
- 4th for any illicit drug use, other than marijuana – 183,000 people, or 4.6% of the Colorado population, ages 12+.
In each of these five categories, the percentage of Coloradans partaking in these vices is greater than the U.S. percentage. Colorado’s Rocky Mountain high is truly a unique paradox.
This data is for the period 2007 to 2008, i.e. it is prior to the passage of Amendment 64.