Cannabis tops alcohol in daily US consumption
For the first time in U.S. history, daily cannabis users have outpaced daily drinkers


What happened
People who say they use cannabis daily outpaced the number who say they drink alcohol daily for the first time in U.S. history, researchers reported Wednesday in the journal Addiction.
Who said what
While alcohol is "still more widely used," the study of data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health found that 2022 marked the first time "intensive level of marijuana use overtook daily and near-daily drinking," The Associated Press said. Nearly two-fifths of cannabis consumers reported daily or almost every day use, a pattern "more associated with tobacco use than typical alcohol use," said study author Jonathan Caulkins.
During the "nadir of modern marijuana use, in 1992, just 0.9 million Americans reported using marijuana daily or near daily," Washington Monthly said. That number has grown "20-fold" to 17.7 million, according to the study. And marijuana's potency has increased.
What next?
The Biden administration is working to reclassify cannabis as a less-dangerous drug on the federal level, opening the door for further federal studies and less onerous restrictions on the marijuana industry.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Rafi Schwartz has worked as a politics writer at The Week since 2022, where he covers elections, Congress and the White House. He was previously a contributing writer with Mic focusing largely on politics, a senior writer with Splinter News, a staff writer for Fusion's news lab, and the managing editor of Heeb Magazine, a Jewish life and culture publication. Rafi's work has appeared in Rolling Stone, GOOD and The Forward, among others.
-
Katy Perry, Gayle King visit space on Bezos rocket
Speed Read Six well-known women went into lower orbit for 11 minutes
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Harvard loses $2.3B after rejecting Trump demands
speed read The university denied the Trump administration's request for oversight and internal policy changes
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
'New firms are created to serve the economy of which they are part'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US
-
Fighting against fluoride
Feature A growing number of communities are ending water fluoridation. Will public health suffer?
By The Week US
-
The strange phenomenon of beard transplants
In The Spotlight Inquiries for the procedure have tripled since 2020, according to one clinician, as prospective patients reportedly seek a more 'masculine' look
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK
-
How to do the 75 Hard trend the soft way
The Week Recommends The 75 Soft Challenge might be more your speed if you're trying to hit a soft reset
By Theara Coleman, The Week US
-
Texas outbreak brings 1st US measles death since 2015
Speed read The outbreak is concentrated in a 'close-knit, undervaccinated' Mennonite community in rural Gaines County
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US
-
Mystery illness spreading in Congo rapidly kills dozens
Speed Read The World Health Organization said 53 people have died in an outbreak that originated in a village where three children ate a bat carcass
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Health care is full of cognitive biases. Some think AI can help.
The Explainer Humans are fallible but technology can be, too
By Devika Rao, The Week US
-
Ozempic can curb alcohol cravings, study finds
Speed read Weight loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy may also be helpful in limiting alcohol consumption
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Oysters could help combat antibiotic resistance
Under the radar The mollusk shows infection-fighting abilities
By Devika Rao, The Week US