More Americans use marijuana than smoke cigarettes—and that’s not just a vibe, it’s the data talking

Some nights the country changes so slowly you can’t see it until the lights come up. Then, bam: the ashtrays are empty and the room smells like mango gummies and skunky optimism. The headline news—more Americans use marijuana than smoke cigarettes—doesn’t arrive with a parade, just a stack of numbers and the unmistakable sound of culture shifting on its barstool. A team from SUNY and the University of Kentucky poured through National Survey on Drug Use and Health data from 2015 to 2023 and found cannabis-only use has climbed fast enough to overtake cigarette-only smoking. In the most recent stretch, 2021 to 2023, cannabis-only use jumped from roughly 7.2 percent to 10.6 percent of adults, while cigarette-only use slid. This isn’t just cannabis legalization humming along in the background; it’s the score of an era where harm perceptions, availability, and social norms have traded places like late-night confidences. Call it cannabis taxation versus tobacco regulation, call it marijuana policy reform in motion, call it what you like—the floor just tilted toward weed.

The numbers don’t whisper—they bark

Set the table with the long view. Between 2015 and 2019, cannabis-only use rose from 3.9 percent to 6.5 percent. Then 2020—pandemic-year, survey disruptions, smaller sample—still logged 7.1 percent. After that, the slope steepened: 2021–2023 saw cannabis-only use climb again, from about 7.9 percent to 10.6 percent. Cigarettes did the reverse tango: 15.0 percent down to 12.0 percent in 2015–2019, then 10.3 percent in 2020, and another decline to roughly 8.8 percent by 2023. Crucially, co-use—people using both—stayed relatively steady, which hints at a substitution effect rather than an across-the-board pile-on. The researchers published in Addictive Behaviors and described their work as comprehensive; they also note that “cannabis” here includes everything—flower, vapes, edibles, tinctures—while “cigarettes” exclude nicotine vaping. The unweighted sample sizes were hefty (about 42,000 to 47,000 per time block, except for a smaller 27,001 in 2020). In a data landscape littered with vibes and guesses, these figures feel like a steak-knife truth: the American hand-to-mouth habit is changing brands.

Who’s switching—and why it matters

The story isn’t just aggregate; it’s stratified. Cigarette-only use remains most common among adults scraping by—lower income, less education, patchy insurance. Cannabis-only use shows up more among the college-educated, higher earners, the privately insured—the demographic that trains the cultural weather vane. As state-level legalization spreads, the normalization accelerates; what was once contraband becomes a civilized invite to the afterparty. The researchers point to evolving harm perceptions helping drive the shift. The alcohol aisle is feeling it too. If you want a real-world proxy for substitution, look at the shake-out in booze: one major distiller recently scaled back, citing consumers drifting toward cannabis as their evening unwind. For that economic angle, see Whiskey Company Scales Back Operations, Citing ‘Consumer Shifts’ Toward Marijuana As Alcohol Alternative. Younger Americans, especially, are more likely to light a joint than a cigarette. You can almost hear the sighs from tobacco boardrooms and the clink of glasses in dispensary break rooms. The Michigan cannabis market, the California rollercoaster, the East Coast’s green wave—different zip codes, same melody: cannabis is no longer the side dish.

Public health: complicated, messy, necessary

Here’s where the conversation sobers up. The authors don’t treat rising cannabis use as a victory lap; they flag it as a public health challenge with sharp edges. Potency matters. Frequency matters. Route of administration matters. An edible at bedtime is not a dab at brunch, and neither is a one-to-one swap for a pack-a-day past. They argue for a multipronged approach—education, early detection of misuse, treatment options that are actually accessible—so cannabis doesn’t become the next slow-moving crisis on an already crowded docket. You can read the study’s abstract here: Addictive Behaviors (NSDUH analysis, 2015–2023). Across the broader drug-policy field, some states are already investing in training and safety infrastructure, not just punishment and platitudes. Case in point: Ohio funding education for clinicians and first responders on emerging therapies. That thread—preparation over panic—runs through programs like Ohio Health Agency Grants $400,000 To Fund Psychedelics Education And Training For First Responders, Doctors And More. If cannabis is increasingly a legal, regulated choice, then the grown-up response is to teach the public what responsible use looks like—and to build guardrails where they’re missing.

Policy whiplash: the law still lives in yesterday

Culture has moved, but the rulebook is still shuffling papers. Federal law treats cannabis like a pariah while millions treat it like a nightcap. That disconnect spawns some bizarre collisions—like the ongoing court fights over gun rights for marijuana consumers. Even as Americans swap cigarettes for cannabis, the justice system is deciding whether lawful state users can also be lawful gun owners. Timelines are shifting, arguments are stacking, and the briefs keep multiplying, as noted in coverage like SCOTUS cannabis & guns case gets delay request (Newsletter: October 24, 2025) and the deeper dive Trump DOJ Asks Supreme Court For Delayed Schedule In Case On Marijuana Users’ Gun Rights. Policy, like a stubborn regular at last call, doesn’t always know when to go home. But it will, eventually. Until then, the data tells us where people already live: fewer cigarettes, more cannabis, and a marketplace adjusting in real time. If you’re curious where thoughtful, compliant products meet this new reality, pull up a chair and browse our shop: https://thcaorder.com/shop/.