According to the data collected by Gallup, 1 in 8 Americans over the age of 18 participate in “smoking marijuana.” The number is even higher for adults aged 18 to 30, with 1 in 5 taking part.
Though it was just denied rescheduling as a Schedule 1 substance by the DEA, there seems to be no signs of slowing as the numbers steadily increase. This could be due in part to the state’s willingness to legalize weed regardless of Federal restrictions.
The most interesting part of this data is how it correlates with states that have recently legalized recreational marijuana for adults. It is found that participates from the west coast were more likely to acknowledge their use of the popular plant. Washington and Oregon have passed recreational usage and California is set to vote on it’s own legalization in November.
Participants who live within states that have already legalized marijuana had less of a problem admitting that they smoke.
4 in 10 Americans say they have tried Marijuana
43% of American adults say that they have tried marijuana in their lifetime. Though this is not much of a change from last year’s 44%, it is up slightly from 38% reported in 2013. This overall percentage started at a meager 4% in 1969 and has been on the rise since.
Age and Religion key factor in usage
Gallup compared three sets of data from 2013, 2015 and 2016 to examine the differences between age and religious affiliation for marijuana users.
Age is the first consideration, with almost one in five adults (19%) under the age of 30 are using marijuana. This is double the rate seen among other age groups. Only 2% of weekly churchgoers and 7% of less frequent attenders say they use marijuana, but this rises to 14% of those who seldom or never attend a religious service.
The pattern by age is not the same for adults who have ever used marijuana, the data does not skew to the young, but rather shows adults between the ages of 30 and 49 (50%) and between 50 and 64 (48%) report having smoked at least once. Although they are not as likely to continue to use it, they are more likely than their younger peers to have tried. This could be due to differences in generational values or the fact that these older Americans have simply had more time to do so.
Regardless of the reasoning, the data still stands, more Americans across all ages are trying Marijuana. Younger Americans are embracing this shift in public opinion as smoking weed becomes more acceptable. One can expect these trends to continue as more states pass legislation regarding recreational use. A clear majority of Americans support legalizing marijuana, it’s likely that use of and experimentation with marijuana will increase.