More Americans smoke marijuana daily than drink alcohol, study claims

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Newly-released research argues that more Americans use marijuana daily than drink alcohol every day.

The study, which was published in the journal Addiction on Wednesday, was authored by Carnegie Mellon University cannabis policy researcher Jonathan Caulkins. It relied on data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health.

Though more Americans drink alcohol than smoke weed overall, the study argues that this is the first time in American history that daily marijuana consumers outnumbered daily alcohol users.

According to the study, 17.7 million Americans reported using marijuana every day or near-daily as of 2022. Only 14.7 million people in the U.S. reported that they drink alcohol daily or almost daily in the same year.

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A new study has found that daily marijuana users outnumber daily alcohol consumers. (iStock)

"A good 40% of current cannabis users are using it daily or near daily, a pattern that is more associated with tobacco use than typical alcohol use," Caulkins explained.

Both substances are dangerous to use excessively. In March, experts sat down with Fox News Digital to outline the dangers of smoking marijuana every day.

Massachusetts General Hospital data analyst Dr. Abra Jeffers stressed to Fox News Digital that marijuana is hazardous to use in excess.

"People think marijuana is harmless. It is not," she said. "We found that using marijuana (mostly by smoking) is as bad as smoking tobacco cigarettes."

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Daily and near-daily marijuana use is now more common than similar levels of high-frequency drinking in the U.S., according to an analysis of survey data over four decades, according to research published Wednesday, May 22, 2024, in the journal Addiction. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File)

"While we reported the results for daily use, any use increases risk — with more days of use per month associated with higher risk," she added.

The National Cannabis Industry Association previously told Fox News Digital that cannabis is "is clearly safer than alcohol." But University of Colorado School of Medicine professor Dr. Robert Page also told Fox News that too much marijuana consumption can threaten heart health.

"Cannabis is not an innocent bystander when it comes to cardiovascular health," he said. "We do need to get out to the public the fact that there is a potential for these types of cardiovascular events and people need to make an informed decision."

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Marijuana can threaten cardiovascular health, some doctors claim. ((PABLO VERA/AFP via Getty Images)(iStock))

Marijuana can also negatively impact users' cognition and mental health, the doctor added.

"Cannabinoids have what we call psychotropic effects that affect your perception … and mental status," Page explained. "And like prescription medications that are psychotropic, they carry side effects."

The Colorado doctor advised that cannabis smokers be honest with their health care providers about their use, and that they should get medical approval before opting to use the drug every day.

There are more daily marijuana users than daily alcohol drinkers in the United States, according to a new survey. (Associated Press)

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"There needs to be shared decision-making between the patient and the provider with regard to cannabis use," he said. "Patient-centered, non-judgmental conversations are what is really needed."

The Associated Press and Fox News Digital's Angelica Stabile contributed to this report.

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