Baby Boomers Still Mad for the Reefer, Man

Some Americans haven't let go of one part of the 1960s: getting high on illicit drugs. The percentage of Americans age 50-59 who reported use of illicit drugs within a year nearly doubled from 2002-2007, from 5.1% to 9.4%, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration reported today.

The agency said that percentage rose because baby boomers—born between 1946 and 1964—continued to use drugs as they got older. A SAMHSA official said the continued use "is likely to put further strains on the nation's health care system." The rates of illicit drug use among all other age groups stayed the same or decreased over the 5-year period, the agency said. (More marijuana stories.)