May 23, 2024 – In the United States, more people now use marijuana almost every day than individuals who eat alcohol every day or most days of the week.
In a brand new evaluation published within the journal Seeks, Researcher Jonathan Caulkins, PhD, cannabis policy researcher and professor at Carnegie Mellon University, analyzed Survey data dating back to 1979, when marijuana use was first included in what’s now called the National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Both every day or near-daily use of marijuana and alcohol have increased over the past 30 years, but the rise has been much greater amongst marijuana users.
In 2022, 17.7 million people reported using marijuana 25 to 30 days a month, in comparison with only 900,000 every day or almost every day users in 1992. In contrast, 14.7 million people reported using alcohol every day or almost every day, in comparison with 8.9 million individuals who used at that frequency in 1992.
More than one in five people ages 12 and older within the United States said in the identical survey that they’d used marijuana no less than once. once last yearApproximately half of all U.S. states have legalized marijuana for recreational use.
“The most important finding is that cannabis use has increased dramatically,” Caulkins said in a podcast published together along with his recent article.
He said it's time to look beyond the sheer number of people that report using marijuana, since use has change into so widespread.
“If we only monitor prevalence (the number of people who report having used drugs in the past month or past year), we are missing more than half the truth… the really big increase is due to the shift toward higher intensity of use,” he said.
For example, future research questions on marijuana use could address how often an individual uses the drug every day, he said.
“There are people who use it every day but only once a day, and there are people who use it every day but six times a day,” Caulkins said.
He also noted that the position of marijuana in society has modified over time and that today's views vary depending on the group of users and non-users.
“Back in 1992, it was essentially a recreational or party drug, a weekend thing, and now it's morphed into something that's part of the daily routine for about 40% of today's users,” Caulkins said on the podcast, adding that views vary, starting from viewing marijuana as medicine to viewing it as a part of a holistic lifestyle and “like a nutraceutical.”
An estimated 3 out of 10 individuals who use marijuana meet the definition of an addiction, often known as marijuana use disorder.
“But for all of these people, it’s essentially a part of their daily life and not part of their social or recreational life,” Caulkins said.
He said future research mustn’t deal with survey data from users, as these are inclined to be biased and underreported, but as an alternative it could be useful to ask people concerning the effects of others' marijuana use.