Rates of cannabis and psychedelic use among adults in the US reached record highs in 2022, part of a decade-long upswing in the use of mind-altering drugs
By Grace Wade
25 August 2023
More adults than ever are using cannabis in the US
Shutterstock/guruXOX
Cannabis and psychedelic drug use hit record highs last year among adults in the US. This peak caps off a decade-long upswing in the use of these substances. The reasons the country’s appetite for mind-altering substances is booming are unclear, but the increase may reflect shifting attitudes around these drugs, increased accessibility and a faltering healthcare system.
Megan Patrick at the University of Michigan and her colleagues collected data on substance use in US adults between April and October 2022, as part of the Monitoring the Future study. This annual report has tracked substance use in the US since 1975. Approximately 28,500 adults participate each year, all of whom joined during their last year of secondary school.
The researchers found that almost 44 per cent of young adults between 19 and 30 years old and nearly 28 per cent of “midlife” adults ages 35 to 50 reported using marijuana in the past 12 months – an all-time high for both.
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Daily marijuana use also hit records in 2022: more than 11 per cent of young adults and more than 6 per cent of midlife adults said they used cannabis on at least 20 of the last 30 days. That is double the rates seen in 2012.
Psychedelic drug use is up, too. In 2022, about 8 per cent of young adults and 4 per cent of midlife adults said they used hallucinogenic drugs such as LSD or MDMA in the past 12 months. This is more than double the rates from 2012.