Weed Just Became America’s #1 Daily Habit, And That’s Actually Great News
For the first time in history, daily weed use has overtaken both daily alcohol drinking and tobacco smoking in the United States.
That’s what the numbers from the 2025 National Survey on Drug Use and Health reveal; a major annual survey conducted by the US government, whose results were released a few months ago by SAHMSA. The survey has been conducted yearly since 1971, though the latest version generated over 60,000 self-reported answers.
The most recent weren’t really shocking, but provided further evidence that cannabis is no longer a lazy stoner’s hobby or some vice: it’s actually more of a daily wellness ritual for a growing number of the population.
First, the fine print
Let’s take an honest look at the numbers: while cannabis consumption is already significantly outpacing alcohol and tobacco, booze is still the most consumed substance. According to the SAMHSA report, some 129 million Americans drank alcohol in the last month. On the contrary, around 43.8 million consumed weed.
But what makes a real difference here is frequency. Reporting on the survey found that only around 13% of monthly drinkers drink booze everyday, while somewhere between 40 and 50% of monthly weed users now consume daily.
In other words, fewer people consume pot, but those who do, consume it far more often.
What’s actually changing
Since 2021, past month marijuana use has increased from 13.2% to 15.1% for Americans aged 12 and up. When analyzing year-long consumption, around 21.2% consume weed.
Additionally, past-month drinking dropped to 44.4% from 47.4%, while cigarette smoking slid down to 12.4% from 16%.
And here’s some food for thought, especially among fear-mongers: The growth comes from adult consumption, not kids. Past-month use for those aged 26 and up increased to 14.9%, while consumption among young adults and teens decreased. Interestingly, they also found that less people are trying pot for the first time. Some 0.8% of Americans started weed in the last year, which dropped from the 1% in 2021.
Furthermore, SAMHSA estimates that around 6,600 people tried pot for the first time in 2025 while 11,800 people tried alcohol for the first time, and 11,500 for nicotine vaping.
It’s now clear that cannabis is the routine of choice for a growing number of adults in America.
Why it matters
This means that weed is clearly mainstream. With dozens of US states having now legalized pot for medical or recreational use, and licensed shops a normal part of any city, daily weed smoking eclipsing daily smoking is sharp evidence that the stigma has finally faded. The laws are finally relevant to the times, and are a reflection with how people live.
Governments should now look at the numbers when deciding how to change the laws. Thankfully, the survey is relied on by governments when deciding how to shape laws, as well as deciding where funding for treatment money goes. No matter what your views are on legalization, fact-based decisions based on real numbers are always the way forward.
We should also consider that just because normalization is here, doesn’t mean that we should be complacent. Now that we’re seeing weed use become more of a daily habit, we need to have more movement and regulations on proper labeling, honest messaging, and accessible support for those who need more information. These are the types of standards we already have (and expect) for alcohol and tobacco, so we need to make it easy for adults to make better informed choices in a regulated market.
It’s also important to think about how you consume weed. The results revealed that 75% users smoked, while 49% chose edibles; 39% vaped and 15% dabbed in the last year. Each of these consumption methods hit differently, and will affect people differently. It’s important to choose a method that works best for you, based on trial and error, and going slowly especially for newbies who aren’t so sure yet about what they’re doing.
Go slow until you find the dose that works right for you, and don’t be afraid to experiment with different consumption methods.
But before you quote any of these numbers, there are some caveats worth understanding.
Keep in mind that the figures are self-reported, so the risk here is that some people can under or over report. They conducted a combination of online as well as in-person interviews, so there may be some confusion with reporting from previous years.
Despite this, there’s lots of good news in here. The increase in cannabis consumption among adults instead of teenagers, plus the rates reflecting that drinking and smoking tobacco have dropped since 2021 show that there is a much more open and well-informed conversation going on about how adults these days choose to decompress and unwind. And, truth be told, we’re in a very good place for the conversation!
Conclusion
Cannabis is no longer a substance discussed shamefully! We’re seeing the laws and research shift, reflecting the changes and soon, eradication of stigma eventually. But the real challenge will be seen in the way we keep up with new information and better attitudes towards the questions we really need to ask.
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