WASHINGTON- Daily and near-daily marijuana use is now greater than alcohol use in the United States, according to an analysis of data from national studies spanning four decades.
Alcohol is still consumed by more people, but 2022 was the first time that heavy marijuana use surpassed highly frequent alcohol use, notes Jonathan Caulkins, a cannabis policy researcher at Carnegie Mellon University and author of the study.
“A good 40% of current cannabis users consume it daily or almost daily, a pattern that is more associated with tobacco use than with typical alcohol consumption,” Caulkins said.
The study, 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 estimates on tobacco, alcohol and drug use in the United States.
In 2022, an estimated 17.7 million people used marijuana daily or almost daily, compared to 14.7 million people who used alcohol daily or almost daily, according to the study. From 1992 to 2022, the per capita rate of daily or near-daily marijuana use reported by consumers increased 15-fold.
Public policy
The trend reflects changes in public policies. Medical or recreational use of marijuana is now permitted in most states, although it remains illegal at the federal level. In November, Florida voters will decide on a constitutional amendment allowing recreational use of 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 professor of psychiatry at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, who was not involved in the study.
The number of daily users indicates that more people are at risk of developing problematic cannabis use or becoming addicted to it, Gorelick said.
“High-frequency use also increases the risk of developing cannabis-related psychosis,” a serious condition in which a person loses touch with reality, he said.
Source: AP
