Government-Funded Study Finds 23% of U.S. Adults Used Marijuana in Past Year, More Than Half Used Multiple Consumption Methods

Nearly one in four U.S. adults used marijuana during the past year, according to a new government-funded study that also found more than half of consumers used multiple methods of consumption.

The study, published September 25 in the journal Addictive Behaviors, analyzed responses from 6,328 adults participating in the Health Information National Trends Survey.

Researchers found that an estimated 23.1% of U.S. adults reported using marijuana during the previous 12 months.

Smoking remained the most common method among marijuana consumers, reported by 62.6%. Another 57.6% said they consumed marijuana by eating or drinking it, while 40.1% reported vaping. Topical products were used by 15.2% of consumers, while 12.4% reported dabbing.

Because respondents could report more than one method, the categories were not mutually exclusive. Overall, 52.7% of marijuana consumers reported using at least two different methods of administration.

The study also found a substantial difference in marijuana use between adults who currently use tobacco and those who do not. Among current tobacco users, 46% reported using marijuana during the past year, compared with 17.4% of adults who did not currently use tobacco.

Among people who had used marijuana, tobacco users were also more likely to report smoking marijuana than non-tobacco users.

Researchers examined the relationship between tobacco use and different methods of marijuana consumption while accounting for factors including state marijuana laws, reasons for marijuana use and sociodemographic characteristics.

The study was conducted by researchers with the Tobacco Control Research Branch of the National Cancer Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health.