The latest data released by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration shows a shocking fact: approximately 21.4 million Americans aged 12 or over used marijuana on a daily basis in 2025. Compared with nicotine vaping (17.501 million) and alcohol drinking (17.174 million), marijuana use is clearly more common nowadays.
Table of Contents
Is Marijuana Legal in the United States?
First of all, the legal status varies with different purposes of marijuana usage. And states treat medical and recreational marijuana differently. Here is a table about the legality of cannabis in 50 states as of July 28, 2026.
| Category | States |
|---|---|
| Adult-use/recreational marijuana legal — 24 states | Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Washington |
| Medical marijuana legal, but adult recreational use illegal — 17 states | Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, West Virginia |
| No comprehensive medical or adult-use program — 9 states | Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Wisconsin, Wyoming |
Why Do People Use Marijuana?
Why do people smoke marijuana? Well, it’s complicated. As I mentioned above, cannabis can be used for medical or recreational purposes. There are other reasons why people smoke weed every day:
- Medical marijuana
- Marijuana for recreation
- Use by religions like Rastafari
Daily use of marijuana can exist in almost all groups with cannabis use, whether it is prescribed by a doctor or self-prescribed by stoners themselves. People use marijuana for different reasons and sometimes it’s difficult to stop because marijuana is addictive.
Is Marijuana Physically Addictive?
Unsurprisingly, marijuana is addictive. The clinical term for marijuana addiction is called CUD (Cannabis Use Disorder).
According to fast statistics provided by the CDC, approximately 3 in 10 people who use cannabis have cannabis use disorder. 30% of people who use cannabis are likely to form a habit. For people who start cannabis use during youth and adolescence or use marijuana frequently, the risk of developing CUD is greater.
What Leads to Marijuana Use Escalation in the United States?
During the first quarter of this century, cannabis use increased, and there was a turning point in 2008. We’ve experienced the financial crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic, and other events. Could these give rise to escalating marijuana use? Let’s take a look at this table first, which includes each president’s term, policies, and the parties they belong to. Before we tap into the data, we already know that Republicans are against medical marijuana legalization because it’s less effective than existing medicine, and this could be a loophole. On the other hand, Democrats even want to legalize recreational marijuana because it is considered “normal” by “social standards”. Presidents of the two parties then made policies according to their ideas.
| Period | Official data | President and party | Relevant federal policy |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 — Initial turning point | Past-month use: 5.8% (2007) → 6.1% (2008) | George W. Bush — Republican, 2001–2009 | Schedule I; federal prohibition continued. |
| 2014–2016 — Acceleration | Past-month use: 7.0% (2011) → 8.4% (2014) Past-month users: 18.1M (2011) → 19.8M (2013) Daily/almost-daily users: about 5.1M (2005–07) → 8.1M (2013) | Barack Obama — Democrat, 2009–2017 | Ogden and Cole Memos reduced federal enforcement in some state-compliant cases. Rohrabacher–Farr protected state medical-marijuana programs. |
| 2017–2019 — Continued rise | Past-month use: 8.4% (2014) → 11.5% (2019) Past-month users: 19.8M (2013) → 31.6M (2019) | Donald Trump — Republican, 2017–2021 | Sessions rescinded the Cole Memo. The 2018 Farm Bill legalized hemp, not marijuana. |
| 2021–2024 — Daily-use surge | Daily/almost-daily past-month use: 17.657M (2021) → 21.377M (2025), up 21% | Joe Biden — Democrat, 2021–2025 | Pardons for certain possession offenses; HHS recommended Schedule III; DOJ proposed rescheduling in 2024. |
| 2025 — Latest data point | Daily/almost-daily past-year use: 13.302M (2021) → 16.892M (2025), up 27% | Donald Trump — Republican, 2025–present | Executive order expedited Schedule III review; certain medical products were placed in Schedule III in 2026. |
We can see the sharpest acceleration occurred during Obama’s presidency and Biden’s pardons and Schedule III review might also further normalize marijuana. I won’t draw a conclusion as simple as the Democrats are to blame for nationwide marijuana abuse, but their policies do affect marijuana legality significantly. Here are the other 4 possible contributors to the current situation:
(1) Technology and Product Innovation
Inspired by nicotine vapes, there has been more advanced equipment for cannabis use. Vaporizers, grinders, and complicated bongs have been invented for cannabis leaves and flowers in their original form. As to how to smoke weed, the stoners make a great leap.
Cannabis leaves are also refined and processed to make THC oil. THC vapes and other forms of THC are also available: hash, live rosin, live resin, and other peculiar forms you can imagine.
(2) COVID-19 Pandemic
The global epidemic brought a much heavier burden to us all. Isolation, unemployment, and safety concerns built up pressure. It’s likely a short-term contributor but a convincing one. As people were stuck at home for a long period of time, the best way to forget reality is to drown in THC highness.
(3) DEI, Race and Democratic Voting
Medical, racial-justice, and DEI-related narratives may have reframed cannabis from a criminalized drug into a legitimate medical, personal, and commercial product, reducing stigma and perceived risk. Do Democrats care about the well-being of Americans or just do this to win votes? I will leave it for you to decide.
(4) Economic Stress
Millennials may not be familiar with that period. The 2008 financial crisis put too much pressure on people from all walks of life. Marijuana, as one of the not-recommended coping mechanisms, such as tobacco and alcohol, was used more frequently for pain relief.
What is Considered Heavy Marijuana Use?
CDPH has defined heavy cannabis use as “use of marijuana, hashish, or another THC product” 20 or more days within the past 30 days. Heavy cannabis use and overdosing will certainly do harm to your health.
Summary
This news about American daily use of marijuana is truly worrying. Daily marijuana use in the United States has become more prevalent, which is a concerning situation. Medical marijuana is prescribed or misused to a certain extent that marijuana addiction could be formed deliberately. Recreational marijuana is popular and harms the health and brain development of underage users. For adults, you can do whatever you want to your body. For children and adolescents, don’t ever touch marijuana.
