Daily and near-daily marijuana use is now more common than similar levels of use in the U.S., according to an analysis of national survey data spanning four decades.
Alcohol is still more widely consumed, but 2022 was the first time this intensive level of marijuana consumption surpassed high-frequency consumption, said study author Jonathan Caulkins, a cannabis policy researcher at Carnegie Mellon University.
“A good 40% of current cannabis consumers consume it daily or almost daily, a pattern that is more closely associated with tobacco consumption than with typical alcohol consumption,” Caulkins said.
The research, 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 of tobacco, alcohol and drug use in the United States.
In 2022, about 17.7 million people used marijuana daily or almost daily, compared to 14.7 million daily or almost daily users, according to the study. From 1992 to 2022, the per capita rate of reported daily or near-daily marijuana use increased 15-fold.
The trend reflects changes in public policies. Most states now allow medical or recreational marijuana, although it remains illegal at the federal level. In November, Florida voters will decide on a constitutional amendment that would allow recreational 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 suggests that more people are at risk of developing problematic cannabis use or dependence, Gorelick said.
“High-frequency consumption also increases the risk of developing cannabis-associated psychosis,” a serious condition in which a person loses touch with reality, he said.
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