Recent data reveals a significant trend in the U.S.: daily or near-daily marijuana use has surpassed the number of people who consume alcohol at the same frequency.
This milestone was highlighted in a recent study conducted at Carnegie Mellon University. For the first time in 2022, those frequently using marijuana outnumbered regular heavy drinkers.
Jonathan Caulkins, a cannabis policy researcher at the univeristy, pointed out that a substantial 40% of active marijuana users engage with the substance daily or almost daily. This usage pattern is more akin to that of tobacco rather than alcohol. The data, derived from the reputable National Survey on Drug Use and Health and published in the journal Addiction, suggests that 17.7 million individuals reported frequent marijuana use in 2022, in comparison to 14.7 million reporting similar rates of alcohol consumption.
Over the last three decades, the reported rate of daily or near-daily marijuana use has seen a fifteen-fold increase, a shift that Caulkins attributes to growing societal acceptance of marijuana, potentially encouraging more users to disclose their habits.
The landscape of marijuana legality continues to evolve, with most states permitting medical or recreational use, despite federal prohibition. This November, Florida residents will vote on a constitutional amendment to legalize recreational marijuana, and there are ongoing federal discussions about reclassifying marijuana to a less restrictive category.
However, the rise in frequent use carries potential risks. Dr. David A. Gorelick, a psychiatry professor at the University of Maryland School of Medicine who was not involved in the study, warns that high-frequency marijuana users have a greater propensity to develop addiction. Furthermore, such consistent use could elevate the risk of severe disorders like cannabis-associated psychosis, where individuals may lose touch with reality.
This trend underscores a shifting dynamic in substance use across the nation, reflecting broader cultural and legal transformations surrounding cannabis.
