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Young adults in the US are more likely to use cannabis than to vape or smoke cigarettes, according to new research from Gallup, and although many consumers do worry about the health impacts of cannabis, the level of concern is not comparable to fears around vaping and smoking.
Findings from a Gallup poll released this month confirm a growing interest in cannabis among young adults, who consume cannabis more than they vape or smoke tobacco.
Three in ten (30%) of 18- to 34-year-olds identify themselves as cannabis consumers. Usage rates then decline sharply with age.
Overall, around 16% of Americans said they currently use cannabis – significantly up from the 7% who reported current usage ten years ago – and 48% of Americans said they had used it at least once.
Cannabis seen as the least harmful
Part of the reason may be the absence of health worries comparable to those that surround tobacco, e-cigarettes and alcohol. Cannabis generates “the lowest level of health concern in comparison to other substances” among Americans, with only 23% considering it very harmful, Gallup said.
That compares to 30% considering alcohol very harmful, 54% for e-cigarettes and 76% for cigarette smoking.
The poll showed that 35% of respondents thought cannabis use was somewhat harmful, while 25% considered it not too harmful, and 15% not at all harmful.
In other words, although a clear majority believe there is some harm from cannabis use, the level of harm is quite widely considered to be small. Notably, not only did cannabis have the lowest rate of respondents considering it “very harmful”, it also had by far the largest proportion classifying it as “not too harmful” or “not at all harmful” – suggesting that many people, not just a small body of enthusiasts, positively believe it to be low-risk.
Even so, that does not mean that nobody has misgivings. Gallup also pointed out that “separate research has shown that three in four US adults are very or somewhat concerned about the effects marijuana has on young adults and teens who use it regularly”.
More health concerns over vaping
Meanwhile, the analytics and polling firm’s survey on consumption habits shows that those under the age of 30 are “more than twice as likely as any other age group” to vape, Gallup said.
Overall, 8% of US adults said they had vaped in the previous week, a figure which Gallup said was in line with three earlier studies carried out since 2019, although it is slightly higher than our sister service ECigIntelligence’s estimate of 6.3% (which is based on multiple sources rather than a single survey).
Yet health concerns over vaping are far higher than for cannabis, with 54% of Americans considering vaping very harmful, more than twice the percentage who said that about cannabis. As a result, 55% of respondents support stricter vaping regulations, and only 7% believe laws should be relaxed.
While cannabis use and vaping appear to be well-established, especially among young adults, the cigarette smoking rate is near to its all-time low.
Only 12% of US adults reported smoking cigarettes in the previous week – very close to the historical low of 11% recorded last year – and the decline of interest in tobacco smoking is particularly noticeable among young adults.
– Tiziana Cauli CannIntelligence staff
Photo: Devin Avery
