Cannabis and Hallucinogen Use Among Young Adults is at an All-time High, Survey Finds.

By Hunter Dublin | August 26, 2022

Based on the National Institutes on Drug Abuse (NIDA) Monitoring the Future study, the age group 19 to 30 who consumed cannabis on a daily basis or on 20 or more occasions in the previous 30 days reached 43% last year. The cohort's use of hallucinogens in the previous year increased to 8% in 2021. Both increases are new highs since the NIH began tracking trends in 1988.

NIDA Director Nora Volkow, M.D., said in a statement that the data "provide a window into the substances and patterns of use favored by young adults" and that "understanding how substance use can impact the formative choices in young adulthood is critical to helping position the new generations for success."

The poll discovered a rise in past-month cannabis vaping, which doubled from 6% to 12% last year, and an increase in nicotine vaping, which increased from 6% to 16% last year.

Researchers also discovered a decline in past-30-day alcohol use among those polled, which was assessed at 66% last year, down from 70% in 2016. Nonetheless, binge-drinking rates jumped from 28% in 2020 to 32% last year, the same level reported in 2019.

The findings revealed that cannabis consumption among people aged 19 to 30 has progressively increased over the last decade. In 2011, 29% of the cohort reported having ingested cannabis in the previous 30 days, rising to 34% in 2016. The poll indicated that daily cannabis usage rates were 6% in 2011, 8% in 2016, and 11% last year.

From April 2021 to October 2021, data for the 2021 survey were collected online. Scientists from the University of Michigan's Institute for Social Research in Ann Arbor are doing the research financed by NIDA, a branch of the National Institutes of Health.