Nearly 1 in 25 US adults uses marijuana EVERY DAY, study finds
- A national survey revealed that 3.6% of American adults use marijuana on a daily basis
- People with medical conditions are more likely to use marijuana
- A whopping 11.2% of those between 18 and 24 who have medical conditions are daily users
- 13% of young adults
- As people get older, they are less likely to smoke weed and to do so as often
Marijuana is more legal than ever in the US – and one in 25 adults takes advantage of that by using the drug daily, a new study reveals.
University of Nebraska scientists found the drug has become overwhelmingly popular, whether people need it for medical conditions or not.
It is still more commonly used by younger people with medical issues, according to the survey results: 11.2 percent of people between 18 and 24 who have one or more medical condition are daily users.
Although nearly half of those who had medical conditions said they only used marijuana to treat these conditions, the vast majority also said they’re smoking it, exposing themselves to many of the same toxic chemicals in cigarettes.
Nearly one in 25 Americans reports using marijuana every day – for whether the need it for a medical condition or not, according to a new University of Nebraska study
Medical marijuana is now legal 33 states in the US – and for recreational use in 11 – and the new study suggests patients are eagerly welcoming the access.
As of July, over three million Americans are medical marijuana patients, according to the the Marijuana Policy Project.
By the new survey’s estimate, those with one or more medical problem are more likely to use marijuana than those without such conditions.
But from there, working out who is actually using their access to marijuana for treatment or enjoyment gets murkier.
About half (45 percent) of people with medical conditions reported using it only for therapeutic purposes.
But that left 36 percent of ‘medical’ users who acknowledged they were only using marijuana recreationally.
‘In scenarios where a drug has well-established health benefits, good manufacturing processes, and minimal risks, the reason that a patient takes a drug is immaterial,’ the University of Nebraska scientists say.
‘Marijuana, however, can vary widely according to mode of delivery and is associated with several known adverse health outcomes,’ they write.
The drug can make any respiratory problems worse, if it’s smoked, vaped or dabbed, can impair short term memory and boosts a patient’s risks for addiction and psychiatric problems.
In light of these risks, ‘it is important for health care professionals to understand whether patients are using marijuana for medical or recreational purposes, and how patients are consuming their marijuana, to better advise patients about the adverse health outcomes and potential benefits,’ they write.
As the authors point out in their new study, published in JAMA Network Open, marijuana may have medical benefits – but if it’s smoked, it can still be harmful to health.
‘It is of concern that the great majority (77.5 percent) of current marijuana users with medical conditions consume marijuana by smoking it,’ they write.
‘Marijuana smoke contains many chemicals found in cigarette smoke (eg, carcinogens, carbon monoxide, tar, and bronchial irritants) and is associated with adverse outcomes on pulmonary function and increased respiratory symptoms.’
It’s also potentially concerning that the youngest users are also the heaviest users.
The brain doesn’t stop developing until age 25, and some studies have suggested that marijuana use in young people may interfere with these cognitive changes and maturation.
Yet 11.2 percent of people between 18 and 24 who had medical conditions reported using marijuana every day.