Within recent years, analytical firms’ public polls have reiterated Americans’ view of cannabis as unhealthy and detrimental to society.
According to a recent news release, “slim majorities now say it negatively impacts both society as a whole (54%) and most people who use it (51%).
“This contrasts with Gallup’s findings from 2022, when the public was about evenly divided in its assessments of marijuana’s effect on society and more likely to say the effect on most users was positive (53%) rather than negative (45%).”
Gallup collected data from a variety of U.S. socioeconomic groups and religious identities, political affiliations and rates of cannabis usage.
Since data collected in 2022, all groups alike were “less likely to say marijuana has a positive effect on users.” Now, less than half of Americans in the surveyed groups view marijuana as having a positive effect on society overall.
Yet, adult Americans still consider cannabis to be less harmful than nicotine. A Gallup survey from July asked Americans to rank the harmfulness of cigarettes, chewing tobacco, e-cigarettes, cigars, a pipe, nicotine patches, alcohol and marijuana.
Out of the eight substances, only 26% of Americans found that marijuana was “very” harmful, while 40% of Americans view marijuana as “somewhat” harmful. These numbers may sound high, but not when compared to Americans’ overall views on the other substances included in the survey. It found that more than nine in 10 adults view cigarettes, vaping and chewing tobacco to be “very” harmful.
Along with an overall shift in public perception of harm, the amount of U.S. adults who smoke marijuana is also changing. According to Gallup, 16% to 17% of Americans reported smoking marijuana in 2022 and 2023. Now, that number has shifted to 13%. About 7% of Americans vape, while 11% smoke cigarettes. Alcohol remains the most consumed, whereas 58% of Americans reported drinking regularly.
At this time, nicotine is becoming more accessible through electronic vapes, and cannabis legality is steadily climbing in the United States. Cannabis has become increasingly normalized but there wasn’t pushback. Yet, compared to the ubiquitous nature of the normalization of alcohol, conversations regarding its harmfulness seem to fall through the cracks.
This reveals an interesting aspect of our society. As data from Gallup noted, though public favor of cannabis is shifting, most U.S. adults view nicotine as more harmful than cannabis. And usage rates reflect that. But where is that energy with alcohol? According to the National Institute on Alcohol Use and Alcoholism, 28.9 million people ages 12 and older, experienced alcohol use disorder in 2023 alone. Observations saw it’s clear that alcohol is deeply ingrained in our culture, despite the harm that it causes.
