Record High Americans Smoke Marijuana While Record Low Smoke Cigarettes

An all-time high number of Americans say they smoke marijuana despite their cigarette use matching a record low, according to a Gallup poll out Monday.

Of those surveyed, 17% of Americans said they use marijuana, matching Gallup’s record high from 2023. Meanwhile, the estimated number of U.S. adults who reported smoking cigarettes tied its record low of 11%, per the poll.

Nine percent of U.S. adults said they vape, while 4% of respondents said they use nicotine pouches, the survey suggests. Moreover, the 17% of respondents who said they smoke marijuana is notably more than double the 7% in 2013, Gallup reported.

The survey’s results come as marijuana usage in the U.S. has soared over the past decade, climbing an estimated 65.2% between 2015 and 2024, according to data from the National Center for Drug Abuse Statistics. Recent research suggests that approximately 3 in 10 people who use cannabis have cannabis use disorder, per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Smoking marijuana during adolescence or young adulthood may negatively impact brain development and can even lead to long-term issues with attention, memory and learning, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

Additionally, recent reports indicate that many Gen Z Americans are abstaining from drugs and often drinking less alcohol than other generations.

Results for Gallup’s poll are based on telephone interviews conducted by ReconMR July 1-19 among a random sample of 1,200 U.S. adults. For results based on the total sample of national adults, the margin of sampling error is plus or minus 4.0 percentage points at the 95% confidence level.