Daily Cannabis Use Now Outpaces Alcohol and Cigarettes: Report
A new federal report shows more Americans now use cannabis daily than drink alcohol or smoke cigarettes daily. It’s a genuine milestone, and it says a lot about how adults are rethinking their everyday habits.
The Numbers That Made Headlines
Every so often a piece of data comes along that captures a shift people have been sensing for years. This is one of those moments.
According to the 2025 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), the federal government’s flagship annual survey conducted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), Americans are now more likely to use marijuana nearly every day than they are to smoke cigarettes or drink alcohol on a daily basis. Let that sink in, because it’s a first.
The specifics, straight from the federal data tables: an estimated 21.4 million Americans over the age of 12 reported using marijuana on a daily or almost-daily basis, defined as consuming it on 20 or more days in a 30-day period. By comparison, 17.2 million reported using alcohol daily or almost daily by that same measure. Daily cigarette use came in at 19.9 million.
Daily or near-daily cannabis use also outpaced nicotine vaping (17.5 million), cigar smoking (2 million), and smokeless tobacco (4.3 million). In other words, among the everyday habits Americans track, frequent cannabis use has moved to the front of the line.
What makes the milestone especially striking is that alcohol and cigarettes remain completely legal at the federal level and aren’t controlled substances, while marijuana has remained largely federally restricted (though the landscape is shifting, with medical cannabis reclassified to Schedule III and broader changes under consideration). Americans are choosing cannabis in growing numbers despite the tighter legal framework, not because of an easier one.
This Isn’t a One-Off. It’s a Long-Running Trend.
A single survey could be a blip. But this finding is part of a remarkably consistent pattern that spans multiple independent data sources.
A prior analysis using NSDUH data found that daily cannabis use had already edged past daily alcohol use, and that since 1992, the per-capita rate of daily cannabis consumption in the U.S. has increased nearly 15-fold. Separate research from the federally funded Monitoring the Future study found that younger adults are now nearly three times more likely to use marijuana than alcohol on a daily or near-daily basis. And Gallup polling reported that American adults are now more likely to smoke marijuana than tobacco cigarettes. Four different data sources, one clear direction.
There’s another finding in the same federal survey worth highlighting, because it pushes back on a common concern: teen marijuana use is continuing to decline, even as more states legalize cannabis for adults. The two trends, rising adult use and falling teen use, are moving in opposite directions, which undercuts the worry that broader adult access inevitably increases youth consumption.
Why is this happening? A big part of the answer is the same generational shift in how people think about alcohol that we’ve written about before. Adults, especially younger ones, are increasingly reaching for cannabis and low-dose THC products as an alternative to drinking. Research has found that people who adopt cannabis beverages tend to cut their alcohol consumption substantially, and surveys show a growing share of Americans believe THC products should be as socially accepted as alcohol.
The state-level picture helps explain the momentum, too. Cannabis access varies widely across the country, and that variation shapes the national numbers:
Adult-use legal states: Roughly two dozen states plus D.C. have legalized adult-use cannabis, giving tens of millions of Americans direct dispensary access. These markets drive a large share of daily-use figures.
Medical-only states: A significant group of states maintain medical-only programs, where access depends on qualifying conditions and physician recommendations.
Limited or prohibition states: In much of the South and parts of the Midwest, there’s no adult-use market, and hemp-derived products, where legal, have become the primary way many adults access THC at all.
That last category is a big reason the national trend reaches everywhere, not just legal-cannabis states. Because hemp-derived Delta-9 products like Crafty’s are made from Farm Bill-compliant hemp, they’ve made low-dose THC accessible to adults in places where a dispensary will never open, always subject to local rules, which continue to evolve. For the broader federal context: The DEA Marijuana Rescheduling Hearing: What to Know.
And for a closer look at the alcohol-substitution trend driving much of this: The Next Great Sports Tradition Might Be Cannabis.
What This Means for You, the Everyday Consumer
Here’s the advice column finish, because a headline number is only useful if it tells you something about your own choices.
The most important takeaway isn’t the horse race between cannabis, alcohol, and cigarettes. It’s what the shift represents: millions of adults quietly re-examining their daily habits and deciding that a different approach fits their lives better. Some are trading the nightly glass of wine for something that doesn’t leave them foggy in the morning. Some are stepping away from cigarettes. Some are simply choosing an option that feels more aligned with how they want to feel.
If you’re part of that shift, or thinking about it, the case for doing it deliberately is strong. “Daily or near-daily” is a category that rewards intention. Whatever you consume regularly deserves a little thought: know your dose, keep it moderate, and choose products you can actually verify. That’s where clearly labeled, transparent products matter most.
Every Crafty THC gummy is a clear 5mg of hemp-derived Delta-9 THC. Every Crafty THC beverage is 10mg. Every batch is third-party lab tested, so whether you’re an occasional weekend user or someone who’s made a low-dose gummy part of your evening routine, you always know exactly what you’re getting. A predictable, transparent, low dose is the responsible way to be part of a national trend, on your own terms.
A gentle reminder, since we mention it every time and mean it every time: moderation matters, more isn’t better with cannabinoids, and there’s no prize for the highest dose. Start low, go slow, and never mix THC with alcohol.
For more on the science and shifting landscape of cannabinoids, a few recent reads:
→ A New Study Says Cannabis Helped With Restless Legs Syndrome. Here’s What It Actually Found.
→ The DEA Marijuana Rescheduling Hearing: What to Know
And for the everyday question a growing number of daily users are asking: Can You Drive the Morning After Weed? New Study Results for Crafty Consumers.
Low-dose. Lab-tested. Hemp-derived. Made for adults who choose with intention.
Explore Crafty’s full lineup of THC gummies and drinks.
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