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More Americans say they use marijuana every day or nearly every day compared to those who say the same about their level of alcohol consumption, according to a new study.
The study comes on the heels of the Biden Administration’s announcement that it has taken steps to reclassify cannabis as a less dangerous drug under federal law. The study’s author says policy changes like this one parallel trends in cannabis use in the United States.
Jonathan Caulkins, a Carnegie Mellon University professor and researcher of public policy, analyzed 27 national surveys on drug use from 1979 to 2022 and found that for the first time in U.S. history, daily marijuana use has outpaced daily alcohol drinking.
Caulkins noted that while more people still drink alcohol than use cannabis, high-frequency consumption is more common among marijuana users.
Daily or near daily use of marijuana grew over 1,800% to 17.7 million people in 2022 from 900,000 in 1992. During the same time period, the number of people who said they drank alcohol every day or almost every day rose only 65% to 14.7 million from 8.9 million.
“Long-term trends in cannabis use in the United States parallel corresponding changes in cannabis policy, with declines during periods of greater restriction and growth during periods of policy liberalization,” wrote Caulkins.
According to Caulkins’ analysis, cannabis consumption started to climb in 2008 when more states started loosening restrictions on the drug.
Overall, from 2008 and 2022, the per capita rate of people reporting to have used marijuana in the past year increased 120%.
About 54% of Americans now live in a state that has legalized the recreational use of marijuana, according to Pew Research.
On the federal level, the U.S. Department of Justice submitted to the Federal Register last week a proposed rule-making process to reclassify marijuana under the Controlled Substances Act from a Schedule I controlled substance to Schedule III.
Schedule I drugs are those that have been determined to have “no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse” and includes heroin and LSD. Schedule III drugs are defined as having “a moderate to low potential for physical and psychological dependence” and include Tylenol with codeine and ketamine.