Recreational cannabis use has by now been legalized in 18 U.S. states (plus D.C.), further cultivating the drug into the mainstream. As new figures from Gallup show, the share of adults who say they have tried marijuana at some point is now at 49 percent, the highest rate measured by the company to date. Back in 1969, only 4% said they had tried the drug, but, as noted by Gallup: “That surpassed 20 percent in 1977, 30 percent in 1985 and 40 percent in 2015.”
When it comes to regular use there is a way to go however. Just 12 percent of U.S. adults say they “smoke marijuana”, as opposed to having simply tried it at some point. Gallup adds: “This share has been steady in recent years, varying between 11% and 13% after increasing from the 7% initially measured in 2013.”
This chart shows the share of U.S. adults that say they have tried marijuana from 1969 to 2021.
