Green Rush: Daily Cannabis Use Overtakes Alcohol in the US
In what is surely a historic first, new results from a recent study published in Addiction indicate that daily cannabis use among the nation’s college students now exceeds daily cigarette smoking and has surpassed daily alcohol consumption. Coming from four decades of data analysis on the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, this significant development marks a tremendous shift in behavior when it comes to American substance consumption.
“That should be a pretty clear picture-by the numbers.” The way it’s been, in a nutshell What is that “this,” exactly? On an average day this year, 17.7 million Americans were using cannabis daily or near-daily. Only 14.7 million people would say the same of their drinking habit But that disconnect reveals a culture misperceived and maligned — historically perhaps to unique detriment where cannabis perception and regulation are concerned.
New study shows daily Cannabis use overtakes Alcohol for first time in the US. PIC.TWITTER.COM/9OXZI3AZHS
— Daily Loud (@DailyLoud) MAY 25, 2024
What’s more, the 4 million people using marijuana on nearly a daily basis — “imming” in popular slang — are pumping that zip code bring-home-base number up by almost fifteenfold from just under 1 million Americans imming back in those days of MC Hammer and “Golden Girls” (1992). What’s driving that, we already discussed all the various factors leading to this exponential growth, however I will say normalization and social acceptance of cannabis overall is a big part. “It’s a completely totally different slab of the population. When you concentrate on how society expresses itself towards weed and consumes and makes use of it, fully totally different components of [society]… not associated to legality however culturally what it does there—I don’t prefer to do or discuss horse issues as a result of they assume that,” he defined. “Nothing appears to be very much the same at all,” he said. “… And this is not going to be a thing anymore where it lives… behind a screen of smoke somewhere.
Of course, one could argue this transformation was driven primarily by the legalization movement. In the US, 24 states plus DC permit recreational marijuana, and 38 states have legalized medical marijuana in some form. In addition, the recent federal classification of cannabis from a Schedule I drug (no accepted use and high potential abuse) to a Schedule III designation (well-accepted medicinal uses but with the potential for abuse can also be credited as progress on a national scale. Even President Biden has recognized the need for reform, saying “I know of no measure that changed so many things and lives as marijuana for so many people.
Beyond that, the reason for its ascendency stems from a recognition of cannabis’s potential medicinal properties. Furthermore, the expansion of cannabis products to include edibles, oils and vapes has increased its appeal. Not only that but these kind of options are more appealing to a wider spectrum of consumers — those who don’t actually enjoy classic ways of smoking. This tendency is not limited to young people, either.
Despite this increase in daily cannabis use per personal trips, alcohol will still be consumed more often by your opponent. Today, however, given the much greater prevalence of its use, we need to talk once again about the downsides of cannabis. The publication followed with a warning note from the National Institute on Drug Abuse that clearly states how youth and high-potency product consumers could endanger their health by developing an addiction or suffering other complications.
In short, shifting views on marijuana alongside a rapidly evolving legal landscape help to explain why America’s drug problem looks very different today. Since more people are using cannabis, research and education is crucial. “As we discover what these new behaviors, and this information about driven individuals working outside of traditional parties structures can do”, Kimanches says, “we must ask ourselves how they might impact public health and policy making in the future; whether or not to proceed on issues such as individual liberties vs security” To navigate this brave new world around substance use in America well requires a more nuanced understanding that fully recognizes worth while potential benefits and harms from cannabis legalization even as it maintains a steadfast focus on comprehending all possible permutations stemming alcohol.
