Study: Daily Cannabis Use In U.S. Outpaces Daily Alcohol Use

There are more Americans who admit to everyday cannabis use than who admit to everyday alcohol use, according to an analysis of national survey data outlined by the Associated Press.

The research, published last week in the journal Addiction, found that in 2022, about 17.7 million people reported using cannabis daily or near-daily, compared to about 14.7 million daily or near-daily drinkers.

The research was based on data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, which is conducted annually by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to provide nationally representative data on Americans’ use of tobacco, alcohol, and other drugs. Researchers said they used data from 1,641,041 participants across 27 surveys from 1979 to 2022.

The report noted that alcohol is still more widely used among Americans but that people who consume cannabis are more likely to be habitual users.

“A good 40% of current cannabis users are using it daily or near daily, a pattern that is more associated with tobacco use than typical alcohol use.” — Jonathan Caulkins, Carnegie Mellon University researcher, via the AP

Cannabis is currently fully legal in 24 states and has been legalized for medical use in 38 states. The federal government still classifies cannabis as one of the most dangerous and restricted substances but President Biden recently announced the Department of Justice will move cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III under federal law.

In March, a Pew Research poll found that 88% of Americans support legalizing cannabis for either medical or adult use, and 57% supported legalizing both forms of cannabis access.