Marijuana smoking among Americans has reached a record high while cigarette use remains at a historic low, according to a Gallup poll released Monday.
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Seventeen percent of U.S. adults said they smoke marijuana, tying the record set in 2023. That figure has more than doubled since 2013, when just 7 percent reported smoking the drug.
Cigarette smoking, meanwhile, tied its record low at 11 percent, continuing a decades long decline in tobacco use. Nine percent of Americans reported vaping, while 4 percent said they use nicotine pouches.
The findings reflect a dramatic shift in Americans’ attitudes and habits as states have increasingly legalized marijuana for recreational and medical use.
Marijuana consumption increased an estimated 65.2 percent between 2015 and 2024, according to the National Center for Drug Abuse Statistics.
The rise comes despite mounting evidence of potential health consequences associated with frequent cannabis use. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that about 3 in 10 cannabis users develop cannabis use disorder.
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Health experts have also warned about marijuana’s potential effects on younger users. Cannabis use during adolescence and young adulthood can interfere with brain development and may contribute to long-term problems involving memory, attention and learning, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
The trend is not uniform across generations. Other recent research suggests members of Generation Z are increasingly abstaining from drugs and consuming less alcohol than previous generations, even as marijuana use across the overall adult population remains elevated.
Gallup’s findings illustrate a reversal in American smoking habits. Cigarettes, once commonplace and socially accepted, have steadily fallen out of favor as public health campaigns emphasized their risks. Marijuana, by contrast, has become increasingly normalized as legalization has spread across the country.
Gallup’s survey was conducted by telephone July 1-19 among a random sample of 1,200 U.S. adults. The poll has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 4 percentage points at the 95% confidence level.
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