Not only does Vermont lead the nation in marijuana use, its 18- to 25-year-old residents are among the most likely in the country to have used cocaine or other illicit drugs in the past year, according to a federal report released Thursday.

The findings come as no surprise to health officials in the state, who say Vermont perennially ranks near the top in per-capita use of alcohol and narcotics. But treatment and prevention advocates say the report evinces a disturbing trend that demands increased anti-drug efforts in Vermont.

"It is not out of line with how we've been ranking in the past," said Barbara Cimaglio, deputy commissioner of the Vermont Department of Health. "We take this very seriously and are trying to address it as aggressively as possible with our given resources."

More than 17 percent of Vermont's 12- to 17-year-olds smoked marijuana in the past year, the highest rate of any state in the country, according to data compiled by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. In the 18- to 25-year-old age group, nearly 42 percent had smoked pot in the past year, also top in the nation.

Cocaine use among Vermonters is similarly high, the report said. Almost 10 percent of 18- to 25-year-olds used the illicit stimulant in the past year. Only Massachusetts, New Hampshire and West Virginia recorded higher percentages.

Another category in the report tracks per-capita use of all illicit drugs except marijuana, including cocaine, heroin, prescription narcotics and inhalants. Nationwide, less than 9 percent of 18-to-25 year olds had used these drugs in the past month. In Vermont, the figure was 12.3 percent, second only to Rhode Island.

"It's of great concern," Cimaglio said Thursday.

Cimaglio said permissive attitudes toward drugs in Vermont likely fuel the high usage rates. Lax stances toward marijuana especially, she said, influence the behavior of teenagers and young adults.

"In general, you find that people are concerned about certain substances but have a fairly permissive attitude, and I think that goes along with what we're seeing here," Cimaglio said. "And a growing number of people are presenting for treatment and ending up in pretty serious trouble with drugs and alcohol."

In fact, the federal report indicates that Vermonters are among the least concerned in the country about the effects of drug use. Only 13 percent of Vermonters surveyed said smoking marijuana once a month is harmful, the lowest percentage in the country.

Data indicates that more than half of Vermonters age 18- to 25-year-olds have gone binge drinking in the past month — fourth highest in the nation. Fewer than 22 percent view binge drinking as harmful or dangerous behavior, the lowest percentage in the country.

Patty McCarthy, executive director of Friends of Recovery — Vermont, a Montpelier-based organization that advocates for new and expanded addiction treatment facilities in the state.

She said marijuana and alcohol experimentation can spiral into the use of harder drugs. Liberal stances toward so-called soft drugs, she said, are exacerbating the drug problem in Vermont.

"It's generations of more liberal attitudes," McCarthy said. "It's not because we don't know how harmful these substances can be, it's because attitudes in families for generations have led to more liberal use of substances, particularly marijuana and alcohol."

Gov. James Douglas said drug use is among the chief threats facing young people in the state, though he wasn't surprised to hear that Vermont ranked so high.

"We need to do more in terms of discouraging Vermont kids from getting involved in drugs," Douglas said Thursday. "It can't just be middle-aged folks preaching to kids."

Cimaglio said the state will intensify its anti-drug efforts in coming months to help curb the problem. A media campaign, to begin in May, will target young people, she said. And programs and activities offering kids an alternative to drug use, she said, also will help contain the problem.

The campaign will focus primarily on alcohol and marijuana use. Preventing kids from using these intoxicants, Cimaglio said, will likely stop them from moving on to harder drugs.

"The use of marijuana among youth and young adults is one of the target areas, along with underage use of alcohol and binge drinking, which are three areas Vermont shows up as being high," Cimaglio said. "One of the best tools we have is increasing the public awareness."