Alabama residents struggle with marijuana

Officials from the Colbert and Lauderdale counties of Alabama, recently announced that marijuana is the most common drug used among its residents despite attention to other drugs, the Times Daily reports.

Many states are suffering from prescription drug abuse among its citizens, including ones that border Alabama such as Florida. However, the state seized approximately 1.5 million pounds of marijuana in 2009.

"People had a tendency to overlook marijuana and the problems it causes because most of the talk and the publicity is about meth, crack and cocaine," Rusty Payne, an official with the Drug Enforcement Administration, told the news source.

In the past few months alone, the task forces have seized marijuana ranging from seven to 37 pounds. Officials told the news provider that the drug is popular among adolescents and young adults. However, parent involvement may help guard troubled teens from using the substance.

According to the National Survey on Drug Abuse and Health, marijuana was the most commonly used illicit drug in 2009. More than 16 million people age 12 and older used the drug is the month prior to the survey.