Half of Americans said they’ve tried marijuana recreationally in a new survey, fueling fears that America’s rapid legalization of marijuana is fueling use, especially among young people.
Gallup Polling Station said the 50 percent of Americans who have tried weed marked a 2 percentage point increase from the last time they approached the country in early 2022.
The survey of 1,105 adults showed that the proportion of regular users has risen to 17 percent. That is more than double the number in 2013.
“As marijuana has become more available to Americans and legal in an increasing number of states, so have their reports of use and experimentation,” Gallup said in a statement.
America is halfway: 50 percent of the population has tasted weed
A customer purchases recreational weed from a dispensary on the first day of legal sale in Leicester, Massachusetts, in 2018
“Now half the country has tried, the other half says they never did.”
The research raises concerns that cannabis legalization in 23 US states and Washington DC is driving up consumption, especially among teens and young adults who are susceptible to its negative effects.
Proponents say weed has health and social benefits, but critics say widespread use leads to more mental health problems, substance abuse, and even more stoned drivers causing car accidents.
When the poll was published, child and adolescent psychiatrist Bobby Smyth warned on social media that legalization had led to rising rates of drug addiction and emergency room visits for both young and old.
That’s “why doctors, for example the American Medical Association, are against legalizing cannabis,” Smyth said.
The U.S. government’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says cannabis use can have a disproportionate impact on young people, with negative effects on their brain development and mental health.
Gallup researchers found that cannabis use is highest among adults ages 18 to 34.
Almost a third of them regularly use cannabis, compared to only 9 percent of the over-55s.
There was also a political division. A whopping 57 percent of Democratic respondents said they had tried marijuana, compared to 52 percent of independents and 39 percent of Republicans.
Minnesota became the 23rd state to legalize recreational marijuana with a law passed earlier this year that went into effect Aug. 1.
Legalization in more and more parts of America is coming as scientists are increasingly sounding the alarm about the drug.
Experts at Stanford University revealed in February that cannabis users are up to a third more likely to have a heart attack than others.
Researchers backed by the National Institute on Drug Abuse warned in May that marijuana could cause a 30 percent rise in cases of schizophrenia among young men.
Young, Democratic-minded men are at the forefront of American cannabis culture
Joshua Jimenez committed suicide in December 2021 at the age of 22. Josh used marijuana since he was 14 and was hospitalized three times for psychosis related to weed
The above shows cannabis use in US states. Twenty-one states and DC have legalized it for recreational use in addition to medicinal use, with almost all of them now allowing its use for medicinal purposes.
That same month, relatives of three people who abused cannabis told DailyMail.com how their lives had been turned upside down by cannabis.
Sonia Jimenez, of Houston, Texas, lost her son Josh, 22, to suicide in December 2021, which she says was caused by chronic cannabis use.
Josh started smoking and vaping in 9th grade and soon developed a habit that resulted in three bouts of hospitalization for psychosis.
After he started using weed, Josh’s grades started to drop. He also became extremely paranoid, saying his friends had tried to kill him, adding that he saw “really scary things, like dark, almost demonic creatures,” according to his sister.
At one point, he fell asleep at the wheel, traveling at about 100 miles per hour, and got into a serious car accident. Another time, he fell asleep after smoking or lighting a candle, according to his sister, which caused a huge fire.
Josh’s sister Alex said he borrowed money from relatives before running away to California for the night. When he ran out of money, Josh’s family paid for a bus to take him back to Texas. But he never came home. Josh got off the bus in Pecos, Texas and jumped in front of a train.
His family blames the extremely potent cannabis strains Josh smoked. THC, especially in high doses, has been linked to the development of a variety of psychiatric disorders, from depression to schizophrenia and psychosis.