Cannabis and hallucinogen use are at historically high levels

In 2023, the use of cannabis and hallucinogens remained at historically high levels among adults aged 19 to 30 and 35 to 50. By contrast, cigarette smoking continued to decline, reaching historically low levels in both age groups, according to results from the Monitoring Future survey. 

The research shows that alcohol use has continued to decrease over the past decade among younger adults between the ages of 19 and 30, with binge drinking hitting record lows. However, for adults aged 35 to 50, binge drinking increased in 2023 compared to five and ten years ago. 

The comprehensive survey was conducted by scientists at the University of Michigan’s Institute for Social Research in Ann Arbor and was funded by the National Institutes of Health.

Vaping nicotine and cannabis

The report also highlighted a significant rise in nicotine and cannabis vaping among adults aged 19 to 30 over the past five years, with both trends remaining at record highs in 2023. 

Among those aged 35 to 50, the prevalence of vaping nicotine and cannabis remained stable compared to the previous year. However, long-term trends in this older age group are still unclear, as questions about vaping were only added to their survey in 2019.

Cannabis use by men and women

Notably, 2023 marked the first time that female respondents aged 19 to 30 reported higher rates of past-year cannabis use than their male counterparts, reversing a long-standing trend. In contrast, among adults aged 35 to 50, men continued to report higher cannabis use than women, a pattern consistent over the past decade.

“We have seen that people at different stages of adulthood are trending toward use of drugs like cannabis and psychedelics and away from tobacco cigarettes,” said Dr. Nora D. Volkow, the director of NIH’s National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). 

“These findings underscore the urgent need for rigorous research on the potential risks and benefits of cannabis and hallucinogens – especially as new products continue to emerge.”

Tracking substance use behaviors 

Since its inception in 1975, the Monitoring the Future study has annually tracked substance use behaviors and attitudes among a nationally representative sample of teens. 

The study includes a longitudinal panel component that follows a subset of these participants into adulthood, collecting data every other year from ages 19 to 30 and every five years after age 30. 

This approach enables researchers to track substance use trends throughout participants’ lives. The 2023 data were collected through online and paper surveys conducted between April and October.

Key findings from the 2023 survey 

Cannabis use

Cannabis use remained at historically high levels in 2023 for both age groups. Among adults aged 19 to 30, 42% reported using cannabis in the past year, 29% in the past month, and 10% reported daily use (defined as 20 or more days in the past month). 

For adults aged 35 to 50, 29% reported past-year use, 19% past-month use, and 8% daily use. These figures reflect increases over five and ten years, although they are not significantly different from 2022.

Cannabis vaping

Vaping cannabis also reached record highs among adults aged 19 to 30, with 22% reporting past-year use and 14% reporting past-month use. 

In the 35 to 50 age group, 9% reported past-year cannabis vaping, and 6% reported past-month use. The numbers for the younger group represent significant increases from five years ago.

Nicotine vaping 

Nicotine vaping continued at historically high levels among adults aged 19 to 30, with 25% reporting past-year use and 19% past-month use. While these figures represent an increase from five years ago, they remained consistent with 2022 levels. 

For adults aged 35 to 50, nicotine vaping rates remained stable, with 7% reporting past-year use and 5% reporting past-month use.

Hallucinogen use

The use of hallucinogens, including substances like LSD, mescaline, peyote, psilocybin (shrooms), and PCP, continued its steep five-year rise, reaching 9% among adults aged 19 to 30 and 4% among those aged 35 to 50 in 2023.

Alcohol use 

Alcohol remains the most commonly used substance among adults in the study. Among adults aged 19 to 30, past-year alcohol use showed a slight increase over the past five years, with 84% reporting use in 2023. 

However, past-month drinking (65%), daily drinking (4%), and binge drinking (27%) all remained at or near record lows, with significant decreases from ten years ago. 

Conversely, among adults aged 35 to 50, past-year alcohol use remained stable at 84%, with past-month drinking (69%) and binge drinking (27%) showing slight increases over the past ten years. Daily drinking in this group reached its lowest recorded level at 8% in 2023.

Cigarettes, opiods, and stimulants

Past-month cigarette smoking, past-year nonmedical use of prescription drugs, and past-year use of opioid medications all continued their five- and ten-year declines in both age groups. 

Among adults aged 19 to 30, past-year use of stimulants, such as amphetamines, has declined over the past decade. However, among adults aged 35 to 50, stimulant use has modestly increased over the same period.

The survey also gathered data on substance use among college and non-college young adults and various demographic subgroups, including sex, gender, race, and ethnicity.

Ebb and flow of substance use trends 

The 2023 survey marks a milestone as it is the first time a cohort from the Monitoring the Future study has reached the age of 65. However, trends for the 55- to 65-year-old age group are not yet available.

“The data from 2023 did not show us many significant changes from the year before, but the power of surveys such as Monitoring the Future is to see the ebb and flow of various substance use trends over the longer term,” said Megan Patrick, a scientist at the University of Michigan and principal investigator of the Monitoring the Future panel study. 

“As more and more of our original cohorts – first recruited as teens – now enter later adulthood, we will be able to examine the patterns and effects of drug use throughout the life course. In the coming years, this study will provide crucial data on substance use trends and health consequences among older populations, when people may be entering retirement and other new chapters of their lives,” she concluded.

The full report can be found here.

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