Marijuana use on the rise among young Americans

Marijuana use on the rise among young Americans

Daily marijuana use rose from 6% in 2011 to 8% in 2016 to 11% in 2021.

A recent study in the US finds that marijuana use in 2021 is up from 34% in 2016 and 29% in 2011. (Envato Elements pic)
WASHINGTON:
Marijuana use by young Americans reached record levels last year and the use of hallucinogens is also on the rise, according to a new study.

Of the 5,000 young adults between 19 and 30 years old surveyed, 43% reported past-year marijuana use in 2021, up from 34% in 2016 and 29% in 2011, the Monitoring the Future study by the University of Michigan found.

And 29% reported using marijuana in the past month in 2021, up from 21% in 2016 and 17% in 2011.

Daily marijuana use rose from 6% in 2011 to 8% in 2016 to 11% in 2021.

The authors of the study, funded by the National Institutes of Health, said the 2021 figures for marijuana use were the “highest levels ever recorded since these trends were first monitored in 1988.”

As for hallucinogens, 8% of the young adults reported using LSD, MDMA, mescaline, peyote, “shrooms” or PCP in the past year, up from 5% in 2016 and 3% in 2011.

Nearly 82% of those surveyed reported drinking alcohol in the previous 12 months, down slightly from 83.5% in 2016 and 83.8% in 2011.

The study did not cite any reasons for the rise in marijuana use among young adults, but recreational cannabis is now legal in nearly 20 US states.

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