05/04/2026
Now, law makers in Columbia want to restrict THC Beverage sales to liquor stores! In what world does it make sense to send alcohol addicted persons BACK to the liquor store???
A landmark analysis of substance use patterns reveals a historic turning point in American behavior: in 2022, daily or near-daily cannabis use surpassed daily alcohol consumption for the first time in modern history.
According to research published in the journal Addiction by Carnegie Mellon University cannabis policy researcher Jonathan Caulkins, approximately 17.7 million Americans reported using cannabis daily or nearly every day in 2022, compared to 14.7 million reporting daily or near-daily alcohol consumption.
This shift represents a dramatic reversal of trends documented over four decades. In 1992, daily alcohol users vastly outnumbered daily cannabis users. At that time, 8.9 million Americans reported daily or near-daily drinking while only 900,000 reported similar cannabis use patterns—a ratio of nearly 10 to 1.
The transformation accelerated following widespread cannabis legalization and reduced social stigma. From 1992 to 2022, the per capita rate of daily or near-daily cannabis use increased 15-fold. Overall cannabis use also expanded dramatically, with monthly users rising from 7.9 million in 1992 to 41.9 million in 2022.
Among those who use cannabis, consumption patterns have intensified. In 2022, 42 percent of monthly cannabis users reported using the substance on 21 or more days each month—a substantial increase from 11 percent in 1992. This high-frequency pattern mirrors to***co use habits rather than traditional alcohol consumption patterns.
Caulkins noted the significance of this shift: "A good 40 percent of current cannabis users are using it daily or near daily, a pattern that is more associated with to***co use than typical alcohol use."
While overall alcohol consumption remains more widespread than cannabis use, the concentration of heavy users has shifted. Research indicates that modern cannabis products contain significantly higher THC concentrations than in previous decades. Average THC content in seized cannabis did not exceed 5 percent until 2000; contemporary cannabis products now contain substantially elevated levels, raising concerns among health professionals.
Health experts warn that heavy, frequent cannabis use is linked to documented cognitive effects, including reduced amygdala volume, impaired executive function, decreased memory performance, and reduced mental flexibility. Additionally, cannabis use disorder—characterized by continued use despite negative consequences—now affects approximately 3 in 10 cannabis users.
The research, based on data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health spanning 1.6 million participants across 27 surveys from 1979 to 2022, provides one of the most comprehensive long-term analyses of American substance use patterns available.
Source: Caulkins, J. P. (2024). Daily or Near-Daily Cannabis and Alcohol Use by Adults in the United States. Addiction, 119(5).
