skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Saturday, April 19, 2025

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

An Alabama man who spent more than 40 years behind bars speaks out, Florida natural habitats are disappearing, and spring allergies hit hard in Connecticut.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

After another campus shooting, President Trump says people, not guns, are the issue. Alaska Sen. Murkowski says Republicans fear Trump's retaliation, and voting rights groups sound the alarm over an executive order on elections.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Money meant for schools in timber country is uncertain as Congress fails to reauthorize a rural program, farmers and others will see federal dollars for energy projects unlocked, and DOGE cuts threaten plant species needed for U.S. food security.

Half of Ohio Adults Say They've Tried Marijuana

play audio
Play

Tuesday, May 21, 2019   

COLUMBUS, Ohio — As substance abuse-prevention advocates from across the state gather for an annual meeting today, a new poll reveals nearly half of Ohio adults have tried marijuana.

According to data from the latest Ohio Health Issues poll, 1-in-3 of those who have tried the drug have used it in the past year. Marcie Seidel, executive director at the Prevention Action Alliance, said organizations with the Statewide Prevention Coalition Association will discuss the survey results, which she explained will help them determine future substance misuse-prevention efforts.

"The more people who will use marijuana as adults, the more access and availability and the lowered perception of risk is to young people,” Seidel said.

The polling found that usage has remained steady the past several years.

Medical marijuana became legal in Ohio this year, and an increasing number of states are legalizing recreational use. However, the survey does not reflect medical use versus recreational use.

Seidel said as attitudes toward marijuana become more favorable, there's been an increase in misinformation. She explained more education is needed about the differences between marijuana, medical marijuana, CBD oil, hemp and other cannabis products.


"I've had a couple of people who are fairly high up in our government system say to me, 'Medical marijuana is really great because it doesn't get anybody high.' That's a total misinformation, totally inaccurate,” she said. “And people expect them to have the answers and the knowledge to be able to share."

Advocates involved in the Statewide Prevention Coalition Association collaborate on ways to enhance and sustain substance misuse-prevention strategies within their communities. Seidel said one of the biggest pieces of prevention starts at home.

"When parents talk to their young people often, not judgingly, share good solid information with them, young people are 50% less likely to even start using substances or experiment with substances or drugs in their youth,” Seidel said.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, marijuana is the most widely used illicit drug in the US. The Ohio Health Issues poll found no income differences among adults who have tried marijuana, but those ages 65 and older are typically less likely to try marijuana than younger adults.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
Congressional researchers said more than 25 million American households report forgoing food and medicine to pay their energy bills. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

A bipartisan group of lawmakers in Congress is joining advocates for energy assistance across the country to warn a dangerous situation is brewing for…


Environment

play sound

Teams of researchers and volunteers will fan out at dawn Friday with their smartphones and binoculars on the Florida Gulf Coast University campus for …

Environment

play sound

Environmental groups across Michigan are pushing back after the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers confirmed it will fast-track Enbridge's Line 5 tunnel …


The elimination of judgeships in 11 Indiana counties followed a weighted caseload study, which found some counties have more judges than needed to manage their current dockets. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

Indiana lawmakers approved a bill Tuesday to eliminate judgeships in eleven mostly rural counties as part of a statewide judicial reallocation…

play sound

For Minnesota households planning future college enrollment, there is a good chance tuition will cost more, as public campuses facing tighter budgets …

When cows eat plant cover faster than it can regrow, it erodes and degrades the soil beneath, making it more susceptible to runoff and other undesirable consequences. (Saed/Adobe Stock)

Environment

play sound

By Seth Millstein for Sentient Climate.Broadcast version by Isobel Charle for Washington News Service reporting for the Sentient-Public News Service C…

Environment

play sound

Communities in southern and eastern Montana were connected to passenger rail lines running from Chicago to Seattle until 1979. An effort to fund the …

Environment

play sound

By Jessica Scott-Reid for Sentient Climate.Broadcast version by Danielle Smith for Keystone State News Connection reporting for the Sentient-Public Ne…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021