Study: Those in the Food Services Industry Most Likely to Use Marijuana, Those in Mining, Oil, and Gas Least Likely

Study: Those in the Food Services Industry Most Likely to Use Marijuana, Those in Mining, Oil, and Gas Least Likely

A new Colorado-based study released by the CDC examines the likelihood of a person being a marijuana consumer based on the industry they currently work in.

The study, titled Current Marijuana Use by Industry and Occupation — Colorado, 2014–2015, was released by the CDC on Friday.  Using the 2014 and 2015 BRFSS [Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System] data combined, “state-weighted percentages were calculated, and bivariate analyses using a Rao-Scott chi-square test were performed to compare the prevalence of marijuana use by age group, sex, and race/ethnicity.” In addition, “prevalence and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated to compare the prevalence of marijuana use by industry and occupation.”

Among the combined 26,936 respondents* in the BRFSS 2014 and 2015 surveys, 18,848 (70.0%) were given the opportunity to answer the question of whether they had ever used marijuana or hashish, and 18,674 (99.1%) responded (either positively or negatively) to the question. Of those respondents, 10,169 (54.5%) indicated that they were employed or had been out of work for less than 1 year. Among the 10,169 workers responding, 14.6% reported using marijuana during the preceding 30 days.

The prevalence of current marijuana use was higher among persons aged 18–25 years (29.6%) than among persons aged 26–34 years (18.6%) and persons aged ≥35 years (11.0%), and higher among men (17.2%) than among women (11.3%). By race/ethnicity, prevalence of current marijuana use was highest among non-Hispanic whites (15.3%), followed by Hispanics (15.1%) and non-Hispanic blacks (14.5%).

Below is a breakdown of marijuana users by industry, starting with the industry with the highest percentage of users, down to the industry with the lowest percentage:

Accommodation and Food Services — 30.1%
Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation — 28.3%
Other Services (except Public Administration) — 20.9%
Construction — 19.7%
Real Estate, Rent, Lease — 19.6%
Retail Trade — 18.9%
Administration, Support, Waste Management, and Remediation Services — 18.8%
Information — 18.2%
Manufacturing — 16.3%
Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing/Hunting — 14.4%
Professional, Scientific, Technical Services — 14%
Finance and Insurance — 13.5%
Management of Companies and Enterprises — 13.1%
Wholesale Trade — 11.4%
Transport and Warehousing — 10.2%
Health Care and Social Assistance — 7.4%
Education — 5.8%
Public Administration — 5.8%
Utilities — 5.8%
Mining, Oil and Gas — 5.2%

 

More information on this study can be found by clicking here.