The latest Monitoring the Future Survey, funded by the National Institutes of Health, found that past 30-day cannabis use and the use of hallucinogenic drugs among adults aged 19 to 30 and 35 to 50 in 2023 remained at “historically high levels” while past-month and daily alcohol use continued a decade-long decline among those 19 to 30 years old, with binge drinking reaching all-time lows.
Binge drinking among 35- to 50-year-olds in 2023 did increase from five and 10 years ago, according to the survey.
In a statement, Nora D. Volkow, M.D., director of NIH’s National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), noted that researchers “have seen that people at different stages of adulthood are trending toward use of drugs like cannabis and psychedelics and away from tobacco cigarettes.”
“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.” — Volkow in a press release
The survey found that among adults 19 to 30 years old, about 42% reported cannabis use in the past year, 29% in the past month, and 10% daily, defined as use on 20
