A changing of the guard, by the numbers
Every year the federal government asks tens of thousands of Americans what they actually consume, and every year the answers get a little more interesting. The 2025 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, released July 28 by SAMHSA, delivered a milestone: 43.8 million Americans aged 12 and up used marijuana regularly in 2025, compared with 36.1 million who smoked cigarettes. The Marlboro Man, meet his replacement.
The daily numbers crossed over too. About 21.4 million people reported using cannabis on 20 or more of the past 30 days, edging past the 19.9 million who smoked cigarettes every single day of the month. Per Marijuana Moment's read of the data, daily-or-near-daily cannabis use now outpaces daily alcohol drinking as well.
The honest footnotes
- The definitions aren't identical: the cannabis figure counts 20-plus days out of 30, while the cigarette figure counts all 30. A slightly generous comparison — worth knowing before you quote it at a dinner party.
- The age curves run in opposite directions. Cannabis use peaks among adults 18 to 25; cigarette use skews heavily toward those 26 and older. One line is rising, one is sunsetting, and demographers can see where this goes.
- None of this is a health endorsement of anything. It's a snapshot of what the country actually does, from the most rigorous drug-use survey the government runs.
Why we find this fascinating
Fifty years ago, cigarettes were on billboards and cannabis was contraband. Now the federal government's own survey shows the country quietly swapped habits — while, elsewhere in the same government, a judge weighs whether marijuana still belongs in Schedule I. Culture tends to move first and paperwork catches up later. The paperwork is visibly jogging.
Sources
- Marijuana Moment: More Americans now use marijuana than smoke cigarettes, new study shows
- Marijuana Moment: Daily marijuana use now outpaces alcohol drinking and cigarette smoking, federal report shows
- SAMHSA: National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH)
- The Spokesman-Review: Marijuana use trumps cigarettes in U.S., new study finds
Educational content, not legal advice. Laws change - verify with official sources.
