Half of American adults have tried marijuana at some point in their lives, according to the results of a new Gallup Poll released last week. The figure, the highest ever recorded, continues the increase in the percentage of American adults who say they have experimented with cannabis, rising from only 4% when Gallup first asked the question more than 50 years ago.
Fully half of American adults have tried marijuana at some time in their lives, according to a new … [+] Gallup Poll.
Fully half (50%) of those surveyed in Gallup’s annual Consumption Habits poll conducted last month said they had used marijuana at some time. The national polling organization noted in an analysis of the survey that while this year’s figure is essentially unchanged from the 49% and 48% readings in 2021 and 2022, respectively, the increase is statistically significant from the 45% of adults who said they have tried marijuana recorded in 2017 and 2019.
Increase Continues Upward Trend
The increase continues a trend recorded since Gallup first began asking Americans if they have tried marijuana in 1969, when only 4% replied in the affirmative. The percentage grew quickly over the next decade, rising to nearly a quarter (24%) of Americans in 1977. By 1985, 33% of Americans said they had used marijuana at least once. Although the rate of increase slowed over the next three decades, by 2013 38% of Americans said they had tried marijuana. Only two years later, the figure had jumped to 44%, signaling the start of a new period of more rapid increase that continues to this day.
By gender, a higher percentage of men (53%) than women (44%) said they have at least experimented with marijuana. By age, adults 35-54 showed the highest rate of past marijuana use, with 51% saying that had tried the drug, while 49% of those aged 18-34 and 47% of adults 55 and older said the same. Democrats saw the highest rate of those who said they had tried weed at 57%, while 52% of independent voters and only 39% of Republicans said they had used marijuana at some time in their life.
The number of Americans who say they have tried marijuana has risen significantly over the past five … [+] decades, according to Gallup research.
Gallup noted that the rise in the percentage of Americans who say they have used marijuana coincided with an increase in the number of those who support legalizing cannabis. In 1969, only 12% said they supported legalizing marijuana, while in 2023 legalization is supported by two-thirds (68%) of those polled. A total of 23 states have legalized recreational marijuana, while 38 states have enacted comprehensive medical marijuana legalization.
Uptick In Current Weed Users Also Recorded
Since 2013, Gallup has also asked a separate question about current cannabis use. When asked if they “smoke marijuana,” about one in six (17%) answered affirmatively in this year’s survey, the highest ever recorded and more than double the 7% initially measured 10 years ago. Young people reported the highest rate of current use, a trend previously noted by Gallup, with 29% of adults aged 18-34 saying that they smoke marijuana. Seventeen percent of adults aged 35-54 said the same, while only 9% of those 55 and up said they smoke pot.
Rates of both experimentation and current use of marijuana, by subgroup.
By gender, 19% of men and 14% of women said they are current marijuana smokers. More than a fifth (21%) of Democrats said they smoke weed, while 17% of independents and 12% of Republicans said likewise. Interestingly, while about half of both college graduates and non-graduates (49% for each) said they have experimented with marijuana, a fifth (20%) of non-graduates said they currently smoke marijuana and only 11% of those with a college degree said they are current users.
To conduct the poll, Gallup surveyed a random sample of 1,015 adults aged 18 and up between July 3 and July 27. The poll’s reported margin of sampling error is ±4 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. Additionally, question-wording and practical difficulties in conducting surveys can introduce error or bias into the findings of public opinion polls, Gallup noted.
