For the first time in about 40 years, the number of Americans who use marijuana almost daily has surpassed those who drink alcohol with the same frequency.
This shift reflects the growing mainstream acceptance and legalisation of recreational marijuana in nearly half of US states.
In 2022, an estimated 17.7 million people reportedly used marijuana daily or near-daily compared to 14.7 million daily or near-daily drinkers, according to a national survey data.
While in 1992, when daily pot use hit a low point, less than 1 million people said they used marijuana nearly every day.
Alcohol is still extensively used, but 2022 was the first time this intensive level of marijuana use overtook daily and near-daily drinking, said the study’s author, Jonathan Caulkins, a cannabis policy researcher at Carnegie Mellon University.
“40% of present cannabis users are using it daily or near daily, a pattern that is more associated with tobacco use than typical alcohol use,” Caulkins said.
The research, based on data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, was published on Wednesday (May 22) in the journal Addiction.
The survey is a highly regarded source of self-reported estimates of tobacco, alcohol and drug use in the United States.
Notably, from 1992 to 2022, the per capita rate of reporting daily or near-daily marijuana use increased 15-fold. Many states have now allowed medical or recreational marijuana, though it remains illegal at the federal level.
In November, Florida voters will decide on a constitutional amendment to allow recreational cannabis.
Meanwhile, the federal government is working on reclassifying marijuana as a less dangerous drug.
The research shows those who use marijuana in high quantity are more likely to become addicted to it, said Dr. David A. Gorelick, a psychiatry professor at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, who was not involved in the study.
The number of daily users suggests that more people are at risk for developing problematic cannabis use or addiction, Gorelick added.
(With inputs from agencies)
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