Marijuana Statistics
Marijuana is the most widely used federally illegal drug in the United States. About 61.9 million Americans used it in the past year, and for the first time daily users now outnumber daily drinkers.
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If you are trying to gauge how common marijuana use has become, the numbers are striking. Marijuana is the most widely used federally illegal drug in the United States, and about 61.9 million Americans, or 22% of people aged 12 and older, used it in the past year[1].
The bigger shift is not how many people try cannabis but how many now use it constantly. In 2022, for the first time on record, more Americans reported daily or near-daily cannabis use than daily or near-daily drinking[2].
- About 61.9 million Americans, 22% of people aged 12 and older, used marijuana in the past year in 2022[1].
- Roughly 17.7 million people now use cannabis daily or near-daily, more than the 14.7 million who drink that often — the first crossover on record[2].
- Close to 3 in 10 past-year users, 30.3%, meet the criteria for cannabis use disorder, and about 7% of all adults do[3].
- Average THC potency climbed from about 4% in 1995 to roughly 12% by 2014, and most seized cannabis now tests above 10%[4][5].
- Cannabis edible poisonings in children under 6 rose 1,375% from 2017 to 2021, from 207 cases to 3,054[6].
How Many Americans Use Marijuana
Marijuana is used more than any other federally illegal drug in the country, and the survey that tracks it most closely is the National Survey on Drug Use and Health[1]. The headline figure is large, but the pattern underneath it matters more.
Past-Year and Current Use
In 2022, about 61.9 million people aged 12 and older used marijuana in the past year, and 15.0% used it in the past month[1]. That past-month use has been rising for a decade, climbing from 7.6% in 2013 to 15.1% in 2022[7].
Daily and Near-Daily Use Is Climbing
The sharpest growth is in heavy use. Roughly 17.7 million people reported daily or near-daily use in 2022, and among people who used in the past month, 42.3% used that often[2]. That is the pattern most tied to dependence.
| Marijuana use in the US, 2022 | Estimate |
|---|---|
| Past-year use, ages 12+ | 61.9 million (22.0%) |
| Past-month use, ages 12+ | 15.0% |
| Daily or near-daily use | 17.7 million |
| Past-year users who meet cannabis use disorder criteria | 30.3% |
What that means in plain terms is that occasional use is common and mostly low-risk, while the group using every day, where the real harm concentrates, is the group growing fastest[2].
Marijuana Use by Age
Marijuana use is spread across every age group, but not evenly. Young adults use it most, while the fastest recent growth is among older adults, and teen use has stayed flat[1][7].
Young Adults Use Marijuana the Most
Adults aged 18 to 25 have by far the highest rates. About 13.3 million of them, 38.2%, used marijuana in the past year, and 25.9% used in the past month[1]. No other age band comes close on a percentage basis.
Use Is Rising Among Adults and Flat Among Teens
By sheer numbers, adults 26 and older are the largest group of users, at 45.7 million past-year, and their rates have been climbing[1][7]. Adolescent use, by contrast, has held steady near 6% for years[7].
| Age group | Past-year use | Past-month use |
|---|---|---|
| 12 to 17 | 2.9 million | 6.4% |
| 18 to 25 | 13.3 million (38.2%) | 25.9% |
| 26 or older | 45.7 million | 14.3% |
The takeaway is that cannabis has become an adult drug that keeps its users. The recent rise is driven by adults in their thirties, forties, and beyond, not by teenagers[7].
Marijuana Use by Sex
Men use marijuana more than women on every national measure, though the gap is narrowing and women face some distinct risks[7][8].
Men Use More Than Women
In 2022, current marijuana use was 17.3% among men and 13.0% among women[7]. Survey data also show men tend to use more often, in larger amounts, and to start younger than women[8].
Women and the Telescoping Effect
Women face a pattern researchers call the telescoping effect. Cannabis-dependent women enter treatment after fewer years of regular use than men, reaching serious problems on a shorter timeline[9]. Recent growth in female use has also outpaced men’s[7].
| Current marijuana use, 2022 | Share |
|---|---|
| Men | 17.3% |
| Women | 13.0% |
Marijuana Use by Race and Ethnicity
Past-year marijuana use varies widely across racial and ethnic groups, and the highest rates are not where common stereotypes place them[10].
Use Is Highest Among Multiracial and Native Adults
In 2022, past-year use was highest among multiracial people, at 31.1%, followed by American Indian or Alaska Native people at 27.3%[10]. Asian Americans reported the lowest use, at 11.2%[10].
Recent Growth Among Hispanic and Female Adults
Use among most groups has trended upward, with notable recent increases among Hispanic adults[7]. Multiracial and lower-income adults have carried consistently higher odds of use across the past decade[7].
| Past-year use by race and ethnicity, 2022 (ages 12+) | Share |
|---|---|
| Multiracial | 31.1% |
| American Indian or Alaska Native | 27.3% |
| Black | 23.5% |
| White | 22.9% |
| Hispanic | 20.3% |
| Asian | 11.2% |
Marijuana Use and Legalization
Marijuana remains illegal under federal law, yet most states now allow medical or recreational use. Use has risen fastest during the years of loosening state policy[2].
Use Surged as States Legalized
Reported cannabis use fell to a low in 1992, recovered slightly through 2008, then rose sharply once states began legalizing recreational sales[2]. Between 2008 and 2022, per-capita past-year use jumped 120%[2].
Legalization and Young Adults
A national study tracking young adults before and after recreational legalization found past-month use rose from 21% to 25%, and a proxy for cannabis use disorder rose from 11% to 13%[11]. The increases were concentrated among young adults who were not in college[11].
| Young adults before and after recreational legalization | Before | After |
|---|---|---|
| Past-month cannabis use | 21% | 25% |
| Cannabis use disorder (proxy) | 11% | 13% |
Marijuana Use Over Time
The long view shows marijuana use tracking policy across four decades, with the steepest climb concentrated in heavy, frequent use[2].
A Multi-Decade Climb
From 2008 to 2022, the total days of cannabis use reported per capita rose 218%, from the annual equivalent of 2.3 billion to 8.1 billion days[2]. Since 1992, the per-capita rate of daily or near-daily use has grown roughly 15-fold[2].
Cannabis Overtook Alcohol on Daily Use
In 1992 there were about ten times as many daily or near-daily drinkers as cannabis users, 8.9 million versus 0.9 million[2]. By 2022 that had flipped, with 17.7 million daily cannabis users against 14.7 million daily drinkers[2].
| Daily or near-daily users | Cannabis | Alcohol |
|---|---|---|
| 1992 | 0.9 million | 8.9 million |
| 2022 | 17.7 million | 14.7 million |
Far more people still drink than use cannabis. The difference is frequency: in 2022 the median cannabis user reported use on 15 to 16 days a month, while the median drinker reported 4 to 5 days[2].
Cannabis Use Disorder by the Numbers
The idea that marijuana is not addictive does not hold up in the data. A meaningful share of people who use it develop a diagnosable problem, so whether marijuana is addictive is no longer a serious question[3].
How Many People Have Cannabis Use Disorder
Among adults who used cannabis in the past year, 30.3% met the criteria for cannabis use disorder in 2022, and about 7% of all adults did[3]. Most cases were mild, but a real share were moderate or severe[3].
Addiction Risk and Starting Young
Cannabis use disorder has grown over two decades, roughly doubling in the general population between 2001 and 2013[12]. Risk runs higher for people who start before age 18, whose developing brains are more vulnerable[13].
| Cannabis use disorder among past-year users, 2022 | Share |
|---|---|
| Any cannabis use disorder | 30.3% |
| Mild | 16.9% |
| Moderate | 8.4% |
| Severe | 5.0% |
| Of those with the disorder, received any treatment | 16.5% |
The number worth sitting with is the last one. Only about one in six people with cannabis use disorder receives any treatment, so the gap is not that help fails, but that few reach it[3].
Marijuana Potency Has Climbed for Decades
The cannabis sold today is far stronger than the cannabis of a generation ago, and rising potency shapes nearly every risk in these numbers[4].
THC Rose From About 4% to Over 12%
Average THC in seized cannabis rose from about 4% in 1995 to roughly 12% by 2014[4]. A later analysis of samples through 2022 found most tested above 10%, with similar strength across every region of the country[5].
Why Rising Potency Matters
Higher potency means a stronger dose from the same amount, which raises the odds of anxiety, dependence, and, at the extreme, psychosis[4]. It also makes edibles and concentrates easy to overdo, since the amount that looks ordinary now carries far more THC[5].
| Average THC in seized cannabis | Potency |
|---|---|
| 1995 | about 4% |
| 2014 | about 12% |
| 2013 to 2022 (most samples) | above 10% |
Marijuana Emergencies, Edibles, and Driving
Marijuana does not cause fatal overdoses the way opioids do, but rising use and potency show up clearly in emergency data, especially among children and drivers[6][14].
Edible Poisonings in Young Children Have Surged
Cannabis edibles are the sharpest pediatric danger, because they look like candy. Reported edible exposures in children under 6 rose 1,375% from 2017 to 2021, from 207 cases to 3,054, and nearly a quarter of those children were hospitalized[6].
The pattern holds across poison-center data nationwide. Unintentional marijuana exposures rose roughly tenfold over the study period, with 70% involving children under 6 and about half involving edibles[15]. The main danger is central nervous system depression.
| Edible cannabis exposures, children under 6 | Cases |
|---|---|
| 2017 | 207 |
| 2021 | 3,054 |
| Change | +1,375% |
Emergency Visits and Impaired Driving
Cannabis-involved emergency visits among people under 25 stayed above pre-pandemic levels through 2022, and those aged 15 to 24 accounted for more than 90% of them[14]. Among children 10 and under, the visit rate roughly tripled[14]. On the road, cannabis use roughly doubles the risk of a motor-vehicle crash, one of the many effects of weed that scale with dose and potency[16].
Youth See Less Risk in Marijuana
Teen marijuana use has not climbed the way many feared as states legalized, but young people increasingly see the drug as safe, and that gap is its own concern[17].
Teen Use Has Not Risen Despite Legalization
In the 2024 Monitoring the Future survey, 25.8% of 12th graders reported past-year marijuana use, down from 29.0% in 2023, and 5.6% reported daily use[17]. Teen use sits at or near the lowest levels the survey has recorded in decades[17].
Perception of Risk Keeps Falling
Even as use holds steady, the share of teenagers who see great risk in regular marijuana use has fallen for years[17]. That mismatch, low perceived risk against steadily rising potency, is what worries researchers most[17].
| 12th-grade marijuana use, 2024 | Share |
|---|---|
| Past-year use | 25.8% (down from 29.0% in 2023) |
| Daily use | 5.6% |
| Vaped marijuana in the past year | 17.6% |
Getting Help for Marijuana Use
Behind every figure here is a person, and for millions of them cannabis has quietly become a daily habit that is harder to put down than they expected[2]. If that describes you, the encouraging part is that cannabis use disorder is treatable, and the recovery rate is high[3].
There is no medication approved specifically for marijuana addiction, so the strongest evidence sits with behavioral treatment, especially cognitive behavioral therapy that builds skills for handling cravings and triggers[3]. A conversation with a doctor or counselor is a practical first step, and it costs you nothing to start.
More on marijuana:
- The full picture of marijuana addiction and how it takes hold
- Whether marijuana is addictive and who is most at risk
- What cannabis does to the mind and body, in the effects of weed
- Where to find treatment that fits if use has become a concern
Frequently asked questions
How Many People Use Marijuana in the United States?
About 61.9 million Americans aged 12 and older, or 22%, used marijuana in the past year in 2022, and 15.0% used it in the past month[1]. Roughly 17.7 million now use it daily or near-daily[2].
How Many Americans Are Addicted to Marijuana?
Close to 3 in 10 past-year users, 30.3%, meet the criteria for cannabis use disorder, and about 7% of all adults do[3]. The risk is higher for people who begin using before age 18[13].
Is Marijuana Use Increasing or Decreasing?
Adult use is rising. Current use climbed from 7.6% in 2013 to 15.1% in 2022, and daily or near-daily use has grown roughly 15-fold since 1992[7][2]. Teen use, by contrast, has held flat or declined[17].
What Age Group Uses Marijuana the Most?
Young adults aged 18 to 25 use marijuana the most, with 38.2% reporting past-year use and 25.9% past-month use in 2022[1]. The fastest recent growth, though, is among adults 26 and older[7].
How Strong Is Marijuana Today Compared With the Past?
Much stronger. Average THC in seized cannabis rose from about 4% in 1995 to roughly 12% by 2014, and most samples tested through 2022 exceeded 10%[4][5]. Concentrates and edibles are stronger still.
Which Groups Use Marijuana the Most?
Past-year use is highest among multiracial adults, at 31.1%, and American Indian or Alaska Native adults, at 27.3%[10]. Men use more than women, and young adults aged 18 to 25 use the most of any age group[7][1].
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