49% of U.S. Adults Have Tried Marijuana

Nearly half of U.S. adults have ever tried marijuana, according to a Gallup survey. Gallup has been tracking marijuana use for decades. A half century ago in 1971, just 4 percent of adults reported having ever used marijuana. The figure surged to 33 percent by 1985, reached 45 percent in 2017, and climbed to 49 percent in 2021. 

"The increase in the proportion of U.S. adults who have tried marijuana mainly reflects millennials replacing older traditionalists in the U.S. adult population," explains Gallup. 

There are no statistically significant differences in the percentages of Boomers, Gen Xers, or Millennials who have ever tried marijuana. Americans born before 1946, however, are much less likely to have tried it...

Percent who have ever tried marijuana by generation

Millennials: 51%

Gen Xers: 49%

Boomers: 50%

Older: 19%

When asked whether they currently use marijuana, differences by generation emerge. Among Millennials, 20 percent say they currently use marijuana. The figure is 11 percent among Gen Xers, 9 percent among Boomers, and 1 percent among older Americans.

Source: Gallup, Nearly Half of U.S. Adults Have Tried Marijuana

60% of Americans Say Marijuana Should Be Legal for Medical and Recreational Uses

The legalization of marijuana is supported by the great majority of Americans. Fully 92 percent of adults say marijuana should be legal at least for medical purposes and 60 percent say it should be legal for medical and recreational uses, according to a Pew Research Center survey. 

The percentage who favor the legalization of marijuana for medical and recreational purposes is highest among younger adults, reports Pew. But even among people aged 65 to 74, the 53 percent majority favor legalization not just for medical purposes but also for recreational use...

Marijuana should be legal for medical AND recreational uses

Total 18-plus: 60%

Aged 18 to 29: 70%

Aged 30 to 49: 65%

Aged 50 to 64: 59%

Aged 65 to 74: 53%

Aged 75-plus: 32%

Source: Pew Research Center, Americans Overwhelmingly Say Marijuana Should Be Legal for Recreational or Medical Use

68% Support Legal Marijuana

More than two-thirds of the American public (68 percent) supports the legalization of marijuana, the highest percentage recorded by Gallup since it first asked the question in 1969. Back then, only 12 percent of the population said yes when asked, "Do you think the use of marijuana should be made legal?" Three decades later in 2000, just 30 percent supported legalization. Then attitudes really began to change. The figure surpassed 50 percent in 2011 and has continued to rise upward almost steadily since then. 

The majority of every age group now supports the legalization of marijuana. Here are the percentages who support legalizing marijuana by age, education, and political affiliation...

Percent who think the use of marijuana should be made legal

Aged 18 to 29: 79%

Aged 30 to 49: 75%

Aged 50 to 64: 60%

Aged 65-plus: 55%

Not a college graduate: 64%

College graduate: 76%

Democrats: 83%

Republicans: 48%

Source: Gallup, Support for Legal Marijuana Inches Up to New High of 68%

High School Seniors Are Taking Fewer Risks—Sort of

In many ways, high school seniors are better behaved than they used to be. The results of the 2019 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS) show fewer seniors engaging in a number of risky activities. The YRBSS has been tracking the behavior of middle and high school students every two years since 1991, surveying students in public and private schools across the country. Here's a comparison of the behaviors of high school seniors in 2019 with their counterparts in 2009 and 1999...

Percent of high school seniors who engaged in activity, 1999 to 2019

	2019	2009	1999
Drove after drinking*	7.8%	28.2%	37.2%
Currently smoke cigarettes*	9.0	25.2	42.8
Currently drink alcohol*	39.9	51.7	61.7
Currently use marijuana*	28.3	24.6	31.5
Ever had sexual intercourse	56.7	62.3	64.9
Currently sexually active**	42.3	49.1	50.6
Use a computer 3 or more hours per day for something other than school work***	45.5	21.2	–
Watch television 3 or more hours per day***	19.4	–	33.1

Note: – means data not available.

* In past 30 days

** In past 3 months

*** On an average school day

Many fewer high school seniors are smoking cigarettes, with the percentage of current smokers falling from 43 percent in 1999 to just 9 percent in 2019. But 40 percent of 2019 high school seniors reported using e-cigarettes in the past 30 days, making vaping almost as popular as cigarettes were two decades ago.

Many fewer high school seniors report driving after drinking, with the number falling from 37 percent in 1999 to just 8 percent in 2019. But the 59.5 percent majority of 2019 high school seniors say they have texted while driving in the past 30 days, a behavior that can be as dangerous as driving after drinking. 

Nearly half of high school seniors say they use computers (including smartphones, tablets, gaming consoles, etc.) for something other than schoolwork for 3 or more hours a day on an average school day. But many fewer high school seniors are spending a lot of time watching television.

Source: CDC, Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System 

Use of CBD Products by Age

A surprisingly large 14 percent of Americans use CBD products, according to a Gallup survey. Young adults are most likely to use them...

Percent who personally use CBD products
Aged 18 to 29: 20%
Aged 30 to 49: 16%
Aged 50 to 64: 11%
Aged 65-plus: 8%

Half of adults say they do not use CBD products, and 35 percent have never heard of them.

Interestingly, the percentage of the population using CBD products is almost equal to the percentage who say they smoked marijuana in the past week (15 percent), according to another Gallup survey. Among people aged 65 or older, a larger share use CBD products (8 percent) than marijuana (3 percent).

Source: Gallup, 14% of Americans Say They Use CBD Products

Marijuana Almost as Popular as Cigarettes

More than one in four Americans (27 percent) smoked something in the past week, according to a Gallup survey. Fifteen percent of adults aged 18 or older smoked cigarettes, 12 percent smoked marijuana, and 8 percent vaped. (Some smoked more than one kind of product.)

Cigarettes are more popular than marijuana among the population as a whole, but marijuana is more popular than cigarettes in some demographic segments...

Young adults: 22 percent of 18-to-29-year-olds smoked marijuana in the past week. This figure greatly exceeds the 14 percent who smoked cigarettes. In every other age group, cigarettes are more popular than marijuana. Young adults are more likely to vape (19 percent) than smoke cigarettes.

College graduates: Smoking marijuana is more popular than cigarettes among college graduates—13 percent have smoked marijuana in the past week versus 9 percent who have smoked cigarettes. Among those with no college education, 20 percent had smoked cigarettes in the past week versus a smaller 13 percent who had smoked marijuana.

Affluent: Those with incomes of $100,000 or more are twice as likely to have smoked marijuana (10 percent) than cigarettes (5 percent) in the past week.

Source: Gallup, Marijuana Use Similar to New Lower Rate of Cigarette Smoking

Attitudes toward Marijuana Legalization by Generation

Americans may not agree on much, but they are close to a consensus on the legalization of marijuana. Two-thirds of the public (66 percent) says the use of marijuana should be legal, according to the 2018 General Social Survey. This is up from 48 percent who felt that way in 2010 and just 33 percent who favored it in 2000.

Percent who think the use of marijuana should be legal by generation, 2018
Millennials: 76%
Gen Xers: 62%
Boomers: 62%
Older: 34%

While support for the legalization of marijuana has been growing for more than a decade, the biggest gains have occurred since 2010. The percentage of Millennials who favor legalization jumped by 20 percentage points between 2010 and 2018—from 56 to 76 percent. Support from Gen Xers climbed 19 percentage points during those years. Interestingly, Boomers were more supportive than Gen Xers in 2010 (54 versus 43 percent), but the two generations are now equally in favor. The generations that precede the Baby Boom (Silent and World War II) are the only ones who have not yet embraced the idea. They probably never will. The percentage of older Americans who favor legalization increased by just 2 percentage points between 2010 and 2018.

Note: In 2018, Millennials were aged 24 to 41, Generation Xers were aged 42 to 53, Baby Boomers were aged 54 to 72, and Older Americans were aged 73 or older.

Source: Demo Memo analysis of the General Social Survey

12% Currently Smoke Marijuana

Nearly half of Americans aged 18 or older have tried marijuana, according to a 2017 Gallup survey. The 45 percent who have ever tried marijuana is the highest figure recorded in all the years Gallup has been tracking marijuana use beginning in 1969 (when only 4 percent had ever tried it). A substantial 12 percent of Americans currently smoke marijuana, with younger adults most likely to do so...

Currently smoke marijuana
Aged 18 to 29: 18%
Aged 30 to 49: 10%
Aged 50 to 64: 8%
Aged 65-plus: 3%

Source: Gallup, In U.S., 45% Say They Have Tried Marijuana

Legalize Marijuana? Most Say Yes

Among all Americans aged 18 or older, fully 60.1 percent support legalizing the use of marijuana, according to the 2016 General Social Survey. The majority of all but the oldest Americans supports legalization...

Support legalizing marijuana
Millennials: 68.3%
Gen Xers: 56.8%
Boomers: 59.2%
Older: 37.4%

Source: Demo Memo analysis of the 2016 General Social Survey

Average Household Spending on Marijuana

For years, the Consumer Expenditure Survey has listed marijuana among its hundreds of detailed spending categories. And for years, Americans have reported virtually no spending on marijuana—until now.

In 2015, the average household spent $3.57 on marijuana. That doesn't sound like much, but it's an average and includes both marijuana buyers and those who would never in their wildest dreams purchase marijuana. The $3.57 spent by the average household on marijuana is about what the average household spends on everyday products and services such as artificial sweeteners, towing charges, and decorative pillows.

Households headed by young adults—people under age 30—spent an average of $20.04 on marijuana in 2015, more than five times the average. Households headed by people aged 30 or older spent much less—an average of 75 cents. Young adults spent more on marijuana than they spent on books or newspapers. Their spending on marijuana was almost equal to their spending on video game software.

These estimates are based on the tiny fraction of households that reported spending on marijuana during an average week of 2015. Consequently, the numbers should be taken with a big grain of salt. But as a growing number of states legalize the recreational use of marijuana, we could see marijuana spending become as common as spending on tobacco or alcohol.

Source: Demo Memo analysis of the 2015 Consumer Expenditure Survey

Most Support Legalizing Marijuana Use

The 57 percent majority of Americans think the use of marijuana should be legal, according to a Pew Research Center survey. Only the oldest continue to oppose it...

Marijuana use should be legal
71% of Millennials
57% of Gen Xers
56% of Boomers
33% of older Americans

Source: Pew Research Center, Support for Marijuana Legalization Continues to Rise

Changes in Attitudes Toward Marijuana by Birth Year

Fully 58 percent of Americans support the legalization of marijuana, according to a Gallup survey. This is up from just 33 percent who favored it in 2000-01. Although younger adults are most supportive, the majority in every age group except the oldest are now in favor...

Support legalizing the use of marijuana
Aged 18 to 29: 71%
Aged 35 to 49: 64%
Aged 50 to 64: 58%
Aged 65-plus: 35%

Attitudes toward the legalization of marijuana are changing because older Americans are being replaced by younger, more tolerant (and experienced) generations. Support is growing also because people are changing their minds about marijuana. Gallup analyzes the ongoing attitude shift by year of birth, finding growing support for legalization over the past 15 years in all but the oldest birth cohort...

                                 Support legalization
                                  2000-01         2015
Born 1966 to 1980:       43%            64%
Born 1951 to 1965:       35%            58%
Born 1936 to 1950:       29%            40%
Born 1935 or before:     18%            19%

Source: Gallup, In U.S., 58% Back Legal Marijuana Use

Majority of Public Supports Legalization of Marijuana

The majority of Americans now support the legalization of marijuana, according to results from the 2014 General Social Survey. Fully 55.4 percent of people aged 18 or older favor legalizing marijuana, up from 46.9 percent in 2012 and just 32.9 percent in 2000. Nearly every demographic segment favors legalization, with Millennials most supportive...

Percent in favor of legalizing marijuana by generation
Millennials (20-37): 65%
Gen Xers (38-49): 52%
Boomers (50-68): 57%
Older Americans: 36%

Source: 2014 General Social Survey, Computer-assisted Survey Methods Program of the University of California, Berkeley

Marijuana Eradication: 2012 Update

Statistics from the Domestic Cannabis Eradication/Suppression Program of the Drug Enforcement Administration...

Total cultivated plants eradicated: 3,933,959
Number of arrests: 6,508
Value of assets seized: $32,008,581

Source: Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics Online

Marijuana and Cigarettes

Today's high school students are as likely to smoke marijuana as they are to smoke cigarettes. Among 12th graders, 25 percent have smoked a cigarette in the past month and 28 percent have used marijuana.

Source: CDC, Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance