The United States has witnessed the sharp increase in daily cannabis use, according to a recent study.
The number of users having daily or near-daily cannabis now surpasses that of alcohol drinkers, revealed the study, which analysed data from 1979 to 2022.
The study's lead researcher, Jonathan P. Caulkins, noted that the data, which was self-reported in surveys, indicates a considerable change in cannabis use rates. He found it particularly striking that high-frequency cannabis use is now reported more often than high-frequency drinking.
The study conducted by the Carnegie Mellon University examined long-term usage across the United States. The study found that reported cannabis use declined to a low in 1992, partially increased through 2008, and has seen substantial growth since then, especially for more intensive use.
Between 2008 and 2022, the per capita rate of reporting past-year use increased by 120%, and days of use reported per capita increased by 218%. From 1992 to 2022, the per capita rate of reporting daily or near-daily use rose 15-fold.
In 2022, for the first time, more daily and near-daily users of cannabis were recorded than of alcohol. While more people drink than use cannabis, high-frequency drinking is less common. In 2022, prior-month cannabis consumers were almost four times as likely to report daily or near-daily use and 7.4 times more likely to report daily use.