Cannabis tops alcohol in daily US consumption

Stock photo of two friends smoking marijuana

Nearly two-fifths of cannabis consumers reported daily or almost every day use

(Image credit: guruXOOX / iStock / Getty Images Plus)

published 23 May 2024

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.

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.

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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.