Smoking weed is more mainstream than ever. Pretty much everyone in America agrees the plant should be legal, and roughly half of adults have tried it at least once in their lifetimes. But how many people admit to consuming cannabis on the regular—and could they technically be stoners?
According to a recent survey, 40 percent of Americans use marijuana products at least once a week. Approximately 15 percent said they consume daily. The data comes from a poll of over 2,000 U.S. adults.
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Smoking flower or taking ingestibles like gummies or infused drinks are the most popular form factors. Over 50 percent of consumers prefer vapes, while roughly 42 percent like to dab concentrates.
The numbers are a stark increase from a recent Gallup survey, where only 17 percent of adults said they “smoke marijuana.” However, that number may not have been indicative of the whole if edibles and other consumption methods weren’t considered.
Poll reveals mixed feelings about stigma
Another interesting tidbit? Stigmas around cannabis are out, but internal conflicts remain. According to the poll, 64 percent of people feel “marijuana no longer carries the stigma it used to have.” That includes nearly three-quarters of Democrats and over 60 percent of Republicans.
However, just because broader societal shifts are happening doesn’t mean folks are ready to talk about their personal consumption just yet. Around 64 percent of survey respondents are “selective about sharing” their cannabis regimens, and over half would resist disclosing on the first few dates with someone new.
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And while cannabis consumption seems more prevalent than ever before, most agree that there’s still a lot to learn about the plant. Over 70 percent of Americans believe “people still don’t understand marijuana well enough.” This may be reinforced by the fact that cannabis has remained a Schedule I drug, defined as having “no known medicinal value and a high potential for abuse. But that may all change soon since the government is finally admitting there is evidence the plant has therapeutic benefits.
The poll was conducted prior to the announcement that the DEA intends to move cannabis to Schedule III. It’s unclear whether the news would have affected answers, but 64 percent of respondents said 2024 would be a good year for the cannabis industry, believing that the plant would be legal soon. Time will only tell if these predictions will hold true, but the poll numbers definitely show promise for the stoners hiding in the shadows—at this point, most people see no reason to hide.
