Study Finds Daily Marijuana Use Surpasses Daily Alcohol Consumption Among US Adults
Authored by Bryan Hyde via American Greatness,
Daily or near-daily marijuana use has surpassed daily alcohol consumption in the United States, reaching 20.9 million to 21.4 million daily users compared to roughly 17.2 million daily or frequent alcohol drinkers.
Fox News reports that new data from the 2025 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), reveals that daily marijuana users outnumber the the 19.9 million people who smoke cigarettes and the 17.2 million who consume alcohol.
While tobacco and alcohol use has been plummeting, down 28 percent and 24 percent since 2021, daily pot use — including smoking and edibles — surged 21 percent.
Marijuana has officially surpassed both alcohol and cigarettes as the most-used daily substance among U.S. adults.
— Theo Holmes (@theo_69_holmes) August 3, 2026
21.4 million use marijuana daily or almost daily, compared to 19.9 million daily cigarette users and 17.2 million daily alcohol users.https://t.co/yE6yjKgqgC pic.twitter.com/4d01T0rFQK
According to SAMSHA, the biggest jump occurred between 2021 and 2022 with an increase of roughly 2.8 million users.
Between 2021 and 2025, the number of adults 18 and older using marijuana daily or almost daily increased about 22%, from 17.2 million to 20.9 million.
A Modern Health survey of 1,000 full-time employees in April 2026 found that 63% of the workforce engages in at least one form of self-medication after the workday, while 52 percent have self-medicated during the workday.
According to Fox News, Gen Z is the only generation of workers where THC use exceeded alcohol use after work – 59 percent report using marijuana products compared to 50 percent who drink alcohol.
Among 18-to 25-year-olds, roughly 10-12 percent reported daily or near-daily marijuana use, while only 3-5 percent drank and 9.6 percent smoked cigarettes daily or near-daily.
The study found daily cannabis use has accelerated rapidly among adults aged 26 and over with millions of Americans in their 30s, 40s, and 50s now using cannabis daily or near-daily.
General past-month cannabis use rose to 15.1 percent, driven by state-level legalization, while frequent drinking and cigarette smoking continue to decline, according to Yahoo.
Fox News senior medical analyst Dr. Marc Siegel said the SAMHSA data shows a “very disturbing trend” and told Fox News Digital: “Too little attention has been paid to the growing THC content in all cannabis products, which makes it far more dangerous in terms of mental performance, judgement, memory and all forms of impairment.”
Seigel added, “So I firmly believe that the rising use – coupled with decreasing alcohol and cigarettes – is directly due to lack of awareness of all the dangers of marijuana versus an increased awareness of all the dangers of cigarettes and alcohol.”