Daily marijuana use outpaces daily drinking in the U.S

For the first time, the number of Americans who use marijuana almost every day has surpassed those who drink that often, marking a shift nearly 40 years in the making as recreational pot use has become more mainstream and legal in nearly half of U.S. states.

In 2022, an estimated 17.7 million people reported using marijuana daily or near-daily, compared to 14.7 million daily or near-daily drinkers, according to an analysis of national survey data. In 1992, when daily pot use hit a low point, fewer than 1 million people said they used marijuana nearly every day.

Although alcohol is still more widely used, 2022 was the first time this intensive level of marijuana use surpassed daily and near-daily drinking, said Jonathan Caulkins, the study’s author and a cannabis policy researcher at Carnegie Mellon University.

"About 40% of current cannabis users are using it daily or near-daily, a pattern 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 Wednesday 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.

From 1992 to 2022, the per capita rate of reporting daily or near-daily marijuana use increased 15-fold. Caulkins acknowledged in the study that people may be more willing to report marijuana use as public acceptance grows, which could account for part of the increase.

Most states now allow medical or recreational marijuana, though it remains illegal at the federal level. In November, Florida voters will decide on a constitutional amendment allowing recreational cannabis, and the federal government is moving to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug.

Research shows that high-frequency users are more likely to become addicted to marijuana, said Dr. David A. Gorelick, a psychiatry professor at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, who was not involved in the study.

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