Cannabis criminalization ‘does little to curtail use’ according to a new study, which found only a 1.1% difference in regular cannabis usage between states where cannabis is legal and where it is not.
A new survey of 6,386 US adults, conducted as part of the Gallup National Health and Well-Being Index between November and December 30, 2023, showed that 9% of US adults now consume cannabis regularly (10 days of consumption per month).
Numerous factors, including age, education and income, appeared to influence consumption levels, but Gallup found that whether cannabis was legal in the state had little impact.
In states where cannabis has been fully legalized, 9.7% of users stated they consumed cannabis regularly, in states where cannabis remains illegal, this dipped marginally to 8.6%.
Political leaning had more of an impact, with 10% of Democrats and independents reporting regular use, compared to just 6% of Republicans.
The highest rates of consumption were among those with a lower level of education, with 13% of those with a high school diploma or less reporting regular use, dropping to just 5% for those with a degree.
Household income also had a major impact on consumption level, with 16% of households earning less than $24,000 a year reporting regular use, again dropping to 5% for those earning $180,000 or more.
The overall percentage of adults who report that they smoke cannabis has more than doubled from 7% in 2013 to 17% in 2023, while the percentage of people who state they’ve tried it at least once has risen from 38% to 50% in the same period.
