8 Billion Reasons Cannabis Has Surpassed Alcohol

Recently the US reached a significant milestone as the number of Americans who consume cannabis daily surpassed those consuming alcohol:

Published this week in the journal Addiction by the Society for the Study of Addiction, the data, authored by Jonathan P. Caulkins, a Professor of Operations Research and Public Policy at the Heinz College of Carnegie Mellon University, reveal a progressive trend of cannabis overtaking alcohol in Americans’ daily consumption, a shift that has been ongoing since at least 2022.

The study analyzes cannabis use trends in the United States from the 1970s to 2022, with a particular focus on its relationship to alcohol consumption.

…from 2008 to 2022, the rate of people reporting past-year cannabis use more than doubled, and the total annual days of use increased by over 200%, from 2.3 billion to 8.1 billion days.

The term “billions of days” refers to the collective number of days all users consumed cannabis in a year. This figure is determined by multiplying the number of users by their average usage days.

In 2022, the typical cannabis user reported using it 15 to 16 days per month, while the typical drinker reported consuming alcohol 4 to 5 days per month. While alcohol consumption was more widespread, cannabis users displayed higher consumption rates, with over 42.3% of monthly users reporting daily use, compared to just 10.9% of alcohol users.

…This study shows that patterns of cannabis use are linked with shifts in public policy, highlighting a rise in consumption during times of policy relaxation and a significant change in cannabis use trends in the country, where cannabis is now more frequently used on a daily basis than alcohol.

You can read more right here.

photo credit: Woman Smoking Outdoors by Marie-Michèle Bouchard