US Drug Test Centers Blog

How Many People Smoke Weed in the US?

Last Updated: Jul 29 2024

By: Ashlee Arnold

The rules and guidelines about marijuana have undergone significant transformations in recent years. The legalization of marijuana has turned the consumption of cannabis into a more casual activity. In this article, we'll examine the prevalence of marijuana use in the United States and worldwide. Additionally, we'll analyze marijuana consumption by nation to understand the global differences. Lastly, we'll explore the distinction between recreational and medical marijuana use.

How Many People Are Smoking Marijuana in the US?

Recent data gathered and shared in a Gallup poll found that in 2023, 17% of Americans reported that they smoked marijuana. This is a slight increase from the 16% polled in 2022 and a more significant climb from the rates recorded from 2015 to 2021 — which fell within a range of 11% to 13%.

How Many People Smoke Weed in the World?

Data on marijuana smokers globally is tougher to come by because most research looks at marijuana use overall — which means this data likely represents people who use marijuana in other manners (capsules, edibles, etc.). However, the Foundation for a Drug-Free World shared data from the United Nations which found that more than 3.8% of the world's population, which is roughly 158.8 million people, use marijuana.

Marijuana Use Over Time and By Country

How do the various countries of the world compare to each other? Insider Monkey identified the top five weed-smoking countries in the world. Here are their results:

  1. Uruguay — annual prevalence of cannabis use: 14.6%

  2. New Zealand — 15.3%

  3. Jamaica — 18%

  4. Canada — 20.7%

  5. USA — 22.8%

How Many People Have Their Medical Marijuana Card in the US?

The constitution still prohibits the consumption of marijuana. Yet, the regulations vary from one state to another. Depending on the location of a person, they could legally use marijuana for medical or leisure activities, or for both.

According to the Marijuana Policy Project, the largest organization in the United States that aims to enact humane cannabis laws, says that nationwide, there are 245,960,582 medical marijuana patients. 3,866,746 of these people are in medical states, although the MPP notes that this number is likely significantly higher because some states don't have mandatory registries.

Woman smoking recreational marijuana in bed

Recreational Marijuana Use

If we're trying to see how this compares to marijuana use for recreational purposes, the most recent and reliable research.) we could find was from 2016. Survey results showed that by far, the main purpose of marijuana use in the United States is recreational use (89.5%), leaving only 10.5% of participants who reported medical use as their main reason. 36.1% reported that their marijuana use is for both medical and recreational purposes.

While the overwhelming majority of cannabis users engage in recreational use, the changing legislation could make these numbers fluctuate in the coming years.

Does Marijuana Use Lead to Additional Drug Use?

Many individuals argue that marijuana is a gateway drug, so we went looking for the numbers. Does marijuana use lead to the recreational use of other drugs?

Research published in the International Journal of Drug Policy __looked at the lifetime cumulative probability and found that 44.7% of individuals with lifetime marijuana use eventually progressed to other forms of illegal drug use.

However, information shared by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that most marijuana users do not go on to use hard drugs. Do note, though, that those who do could have a higher risk of dependence/addiction, particularly if they started to use marijuana at a young age. Regular users are also likelier to engage in other forms of substance abuse.

The National Institute on Drug Abuse agrees with the CDC, but they also explain why marijuana appears to be a gateway drug, echoing and elaborating on what the CDC says: If marijuana users begin experimenting with cannabis early on in life, it can decrease the effectiveness of the reward centers in the brain. This means that it will take more of a substance to deliver the same high.

If these individuals later engage in drug use with other drugs, they might need a bigger dose to achieve their desired high, putting them at a greater risk of substance abuse and addiction.

Hands holding marijuana

So, it's not quite as simple as, "Marijuana users are likelier to engage in other drug abuse." But rather, while there may be a correlation, it's not cause and effect.

The Risk of Marijuana Use Disorder

Many people believe that you can't become addicted to marijuana. However, marijuana use disorder is real. And sure enough, the CDC explains that it's indeed an addiction, saying that it refers to marijuana users who can't stop even though it's causing negative health effects as well as social problems.

The CDC also shares key findings from other studies:

  • Approximately 30% of marijuana users will develop marijuana use disorder.

  • Cannabis users have a 10% likelihood of eventually becoming addicted.

  • People who start using marijuana very young, as well as chronic users, are likelier to become addicted.

Preventing Substance Abuse Involving Marijuana

As marijuana legalization continues to spread across the US, we can expect the use of both medical marijuana and recreational marijuana to continue to grow. And make no mistake about it: Marijuana drug use is happening in the workplace.

Quest Diagnostics analyzed six million urine tests for marijuana use in 2022 and found that 4.3% were positive, which was an increase from 3.9% in 2021.

Drug abuse at work can cause serious damage. It can hurt productivity and efficiency. Substance abuse can lead to an increase in employee turnover. Furthermore, it can lead to more crime and accidents on the job. Current users present both a safety and health risk.

Regardless of where marijuana legalization stands, keeping it out of the workplace is of utmost importance.

Drug testing your employees can help keep cannabis at bay. In addition, a bulletproof drug-free workplace policy helps employees understand the company's stance on the medical use of marijuana, as well as what happens should an employee test positive for marijuana.

US Drug Test Centers has more than 20,000 locations nationwide. No matter where you are in the US, we make it affordable and convenient to keep marijuana and other dangerous drugs out of the workplace.

Order a test today, find a location near you, learn more about our employment testing and services, or contact us with any questions. We also partner with DOT companies!


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