Americans are now lighting up more often than they’re lighting cigarettes or pouring drinks at least when it comes to the people who do it nearly every day. A recent viral post from @interesting_aIl made that claim with a photo of a joint against the American flag and the number 21.4 million, and it turns out the federal numbers actually back it up.
According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health conducted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration in the year 2025 and published in July 2026, there are 21.4 million Americans aged 12 years and older who have used marijuana 20 or more days during the past month. This number exceeds the 19.9 million individuals who smoked cigarettes regularly and 17.2 million individuals who consumed alcohol 20 or more times during a month.
It is noteworthy that the frequency for daily or near-daily is 20 or more days within the last 30 days. The significance of this definition lies in the fact that it measures high frequency, not necessarily every day of usage, and this way, the statistics for various drugs become comparable. It should be noted that alcohol consumption remains the most widespread despite the fact that many people consume it occasionally, marijuana ranks number one among heavy users.
Everything did not occur at once, since the use of cannabis on a daily or near-daily basis increased from 17.7 million in 2021 to 21.4 million in 2025. Over the same period, the number of cigarette smokers declined from 27.5 million, and the number of people who drank alcohol on a daily or near-daily basis was reduced from 22.5 million to 20.4 million. According to Jonathan Caulkins from Carnegie Mellon University, cannabis use for daily or near-daily consumption has risen “by a factor of 15 per capita since 1992 before the legalization, availability, destigmatization, and downshift in cigarette and other drug use began influencing the spread of cannabis.”
The additional data from the 2025 report showed that 61.6 million Americans or 21.2% of the population aged 12 or older used marijuana at least once during the past year. In addition, 48.8% of them used it on a daily or near-daily basis. At the same time, 19.3 million people met the criteria for marijuana use disorders.
The experts in public health are divided in their opinions about the implications of the data. While some of them believe that the marijuana market is now more regulated than it was decades ago and reduced the stigma around the use of the drug, others are concerned about the dangers of increased rates of regular use and regular doses among adults. This is particularly worrying given the association between potency and frequency. The regular use of marijuana could lead to impaired driving and, consequently, a deterioration of road safety, as well as affect the functioning of businesses and the work of employees. Additionally, some researchers have linked regular use to mental health problems.
The viral claim checks out. Official SAMHSA data show that intensive marijuana use has, for the first time, topped comparable daily cigarette and alcohol use. The figure measures how often people use, not how many people use at all. Alcohol is still more widespread in total. Still, the numbers mark a real shift in American substance-use patterns.
