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Seventeen percent of those ages 18 and older say that they “smoke marijuana,” according to nationwide survey data compiled by Gallup.
That percentage is more than double the percentage reported by Gallup in 2013, when states initially began legalizing and regulating the adult use market. By contrast, data compiled by the US Centers for Disease Control and others report that current cannabis use among young people has fallen dramatically during this same time period.
Young adults, men, and Democrats were most likely to report being current cannabis consumers.
Since 2012, 24 states have legalized marijuana possession by adults. Nonetheless, data provided by the FBI last year reported that state and local law enforcement made over 227,000 marijuana-related arrests in 2022 (the last for which data is available). Of those, 92 percent were for possession only.
Data previously compiled by Gallup finds that half of all Americans ages 18 and older have tried cannabis, most believe that it use poses fewer risks to health than does either the use of alcohol or cigarettes, and 70 percent believe that it should be legal.
Additional survey data is available NORML’s Marijuana Surveys and Polls library.
