Daily Cannabis Use Reaches 21.4 Million Americans, Surpassing Cigarettes at 19.9 Million
Updated
Updated · Psychology Today · Aug 17
Daily Cannabis Use Reaches 21.4 Million Americans, Surpassing Cigarettes at 19.9 Million
3 articles · Updated · Psychology Today · Aug 17
Summary
21.4 million Americans age 12 and older used cannabis on at least 300 days in 2025, making it the most commonly used daily or near-daily substance in new federal survey data.
19.9 million smoked cigarettes daily, 17.5 million vaped nicotine daily, and 17.2 million drank alcohol daily or nearly daily, though alcohol still has a much larger overall user base and harm burden.
19.3 million Americans had a past-year cannabis use disorder, and the daily-or-nearly-daily cannabis population has grown by 3.7 million since 2022.
Nearly half of past-month cannabis users consumed it at least 300 days a year, versus about 13% of past-month alcohol users who drank on 20 or more days a month.
The report links that rise to more frequent use by existing users as cannabis becomes more available, potent, normalized and commercially promoted.
As daily cannabis use outpaces drinking, are profit-driven markets engineering high-potency products to create a new generation of nicotine-like dependence?
What hidden mental health crises might emerge as millions of Americans adopt near-continuous exposure to highly concentrated THC?
Could adopting strict tobacco-style marketing bans on legal cannabis prevent a massive public health crisis without returning to criminalization?