(NewsSpace.com) – Millions of people consume alcohol daily, and for a long time, it was the most used substance. A recent report indicates that the number of people who smoke marijuana each day, however, has overtaken those who drink liquor. Not only that, but the news was a long time in the making.
A new study published Wednesday, May 22, in Addiction, a peer-reviewed journal, reveals that more people in the United States use marijuana on a near-daily or daily basis than alcohol. The information came from comparing four decades of data collected by the National Survey on Drug Use and Health. It showed that between 1992 and 2022, daily cannabis use increased 15-fold. The number of people in the US who use marijuana daily reached 17.7 million, compared to 14.7 million who consume alcohol at the same frequency. That’s not to say there are more cannabis users than alcohol drinkers. The latter far outpaces the former.
Then, there are the figures for median users. For alcohol, the average user drinks approximately 4 to 5 days in a month. For marijuana, however, the average user consumes the drug between 15 and 16 days for the same time period.
One of the key points the study makes is that the increased marijuana usage over the past three decades correlates with the change in policy. For example, many states now have laws on the books that allow for recreational or medicinal use, whereas back in 1992, that wasn’t the case.
Marijuana is still currently classified as a Schedule I drug at the federal level, but it is currently undergoing review for reclassification to Schedule III. That will lessen the penalties and increase availability. The legalization of the drug in many states has also led to more product availability, such as vapes and edibles, and lowered costs.
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