A new study finds that daily marijuana use exceeds daily drinking in the US

According to an American newspaper, millions of people in the US use marijuana every day or almost every day analysis of national survey dataand people now outnumber those who say they are daily or near-daily alcohol drinkers.

Alcohol is still more widely used, but 2022 marked the first time that this intense level of marijuana use overtook high-frequency drinking, said the study’s author, Jonathan Caulkins, a cannabis policy researcher at Carnegie Mellon University.

“More than 40% of current cannabis users use it daily or nearly daily, a pattern more closely associated with tobacco use than with typical alcohol use,” Caulkins said.

The study, based on data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, was published in the journal on Wednesday Addiction. The survey is a highly regarded source of estimates of tobacco, alcohol and drug use in the United States.

According to the study, an estimated 17.7 million people used marijuana daily or near daily in 2022, compared to 14.7 million daily or near daily drinkers. From 1992 to 2022, the per capita percentage reporting daily or near-daily marijuana use increased tenfold.

The trend reflects changes in government policy. Most states now allow medical or recreational marijuana, although it is still illegal at the federal level. In November, Florida voters will decide on a constitutional amendment allowing recreational cannabis, and the federal government is moving to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug.

Research shows that high-frequency users are more likely to become addicted to marijuana, said Dr. David A. Gorelick, professor of psychiatry at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, who was not involved in the study.

The number of daily users suggests more people are at risk of developing problematic cannabis use or addiction, Gorelick said.

“High-frequency use also increases the risk of developing cannabis-associated psychosis,” a serious condition in which a person loses touch with reality, he said.

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