Author: Alex Thompson

Marijuana Statistics in the US: Cannabis Use & Abuse 2024 Data Update

68% (17 in 25 Americans) believe that the federal government should legalize marijuana. 74%, 248 million, or nearly three-quarters of the United States 332.4 million population, now have access to some form of legal cannabis [19]. Colorado comes in second place, earning one-third of California’s tax revenue at $423.5 million [15]. 43% of noncollege youth of the same age are also using marijuana in 2020. 44% of American college students have used marijuana regularly in 2020. It’s a significant increase from 2016’s 39% says NIDA’s 2020 drug use survey [28].

We can expect the country’s legal marijuana industry to continue growing. The number of medical and recreational cannabis consumers is expected to grow in the coming years. Support for marijuana legalization on a federal level has also increased.

What they do know is that the toxins and tar found in marijuana smoke could affect vulnerable people, such as children or people with asthma. When people begin using marijuana as teenagers, the drug may impair thinking, memory, and learning functions and affect how the brain builds connections between the areas necessary for these functions. Researchers are still studying how long marijuana’s effects last and whether some changes may be permanent. Since 1975, the Monitoring the Future study has annually surveyed substance use behaviors and attitudes among a nationally representative sample of teens. A longitudinal panel study component of MTF conducts follow-up surveys on a subset of these participants to track their drug use through adulthood. Participants self-report their drug use behaviors across three primary time periods – lifetime, past year (12 months), and past month (30 days).

Cannabis sales peaked by the end of August 2020, increasing by 59% compared to January 2020’s first week [27]. 67% of physicians are now in favor of nationwide medical cannabis legalization, says a 2018 Medscape poll [8]. An equal percentage (29%) of both types of regulated dispensaries say they’re just breaking even [16]. The illicit marijuana market is also thriving in states where weed is illegal. Texas spent as high as $6 billion on illicit marijuana in 2022, and North Carolina came in second at $3 billion [20]. In total, cannabis sales in the U.S. reached $27 billion in 2021, a $7-billion increase from the 2020s of $20 billion [20].

In 2020, California’s tax revenue breached the billion-dollar mark at $1.03 billion and $1.3 billion in 2021 [6]. By 2002, only 35.5% of young Americans between the ages of 18 and 25 think regular marijuana use is harmful. This percentage has further decreased to 27% in 2010 and 14.8% in 2020 [13] [31].

Popularity of Marijuana

Gen X (1965 to 1990) make up 49%, while the traditionalists (before 1946) make up the smallest percentage at 19% [12]. Of this percentage, millennials (1981 to 1996) make up the majority at 51%.

There has also been a 44% increase in first-time deliveries [30]. 78% of cannabis users use it medically for symptoms and disease control, says a 2018 U.M. By 2019, California’s $638.1 million tax revenue has overtaken Washington’s $477.3 million tax revenue [6] [25].

Data and Statistics

74 million Americans will also have access to legal medical cannabis [20]. On the other hand, unregulated dispensaries earn less. They may be serving a large client base, but they’re also competing with more dispensaries, which eats away at their share. Regulated recreational marijuana dispensaries and combo stores can earn about $4,932 daily. The state with the lowest legal cannabis sales is Iowa, with $6 million. North Dakota with $13 million and Vermont with $14 million follow [1].

1. By 2002, only 35.5% of young Americans between the ages of 18 and 25 think regular marijuana use is harmful.
2. However, cannabis flowers still remained the popular choice.
3. The state with the lowest legal cannabis sales is Iowa, with $6 million.
4. Studies show that 3,300 teens try weed for the first time every day, which showcases its distinct prevalence among youth.

The medical cannabis industry trailed behind at $13 billion [20]. The legal marijuana industry in the U.S. is worth $27 billion in 2021. The recreational weed industry was at $15 billion, and medical cannabis was at $11 [20]. Of all the U.S. states, Washington has the highest excise tax rate on recreational weed at 37%. With the addition of other taxes, this goes up to 46.2% [34]. The state’s legal cannabis sales are only one-third of California’s at $1.7 billion in 2020 [1].

Is marijuana addictive?

In 2017, daily marijuana use exceeded daily cigarette use among 8th (0.8% vs. 0.6%), 10th (2.9% vs. 2.2%) and 12th (5.9% vs. 4.2%) graders. According to The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), this is the first year in which daily marijuana use appeared to outpace daily cigarette use among 8th graders. This transition occurred in 10th graders in 2014 and in 12th graders in 2015, reflecting a steep decline in daily cigarette use and fairly stable daily marijuana use.

Since 2017, when marijuana vaping was included in this study, past-month prevalence has doubled – from 6% in 2017 to 12% in 2021. Some people who use marijuana will develop marijuana use disorder, meaning that they are unable to stop using marijuana even though it’s causing health and social problems in their lives. By the end of 2020, cannabis sales have gradually slowed down to pre-pandemic levels.

This webpage features the most noteworthy marijuana statistics in the United States. Results from the related 2021 MTF study of substance use behaviors and related attitudes among teens in the United States was released in December 2021, and 2022 results are upcoming in December 2022. Cannabis stores that offered preorders enjoyed a 22% increase in sales.

One factor that may have contributed to this increase is their reduced perception of marijuana’s risk of harm. Again, it’s the Traditionalists who make up the smallest percentage at 1% [12]. Gallup’s 2021 report showed that 45% of all American adults now have tried marijuana [12]. If this trend continues, the number of people who use marijuana will increase to 71 million by 2030 [20]. The United States cannabis industry has grown stronger over the past few decades. 2021 NSDUH report includes selected estimates by race, ethnicity, and age and is the most comprehensive key findings report to date.

Both substances have been declining steadily in use for the past decade. Additional data from the 2021 MTF panel study include drug use reported by adults 35 to 50 years old, college/non-college young adults, and among various demographic subgroups. If market prediction stays true, the country’s legal marijuana market could easily become a $58 billion to $72 billion industry [20]. Dispensaries that operate under a regulated legal weed market earn higher than unregulated dispensaries. One reason for this is the cap placed on the number of dispensaries that can operate per location. More research is needed to know if secondhand marijuana smoke has similar health risks as secondhand tobacco smoke.

There are now more states with some form of legal marijuana than states where it’s fully illegal. The future of the country’s marijuana industry seems pretty rosy [20]. Of this percentage, 42% weaned themselves off of pharmaceutical medications. 38% say they reduced their intake of pharmaceutical drug use while being on medical cannabis [33].