Cannabis and hallucinogen use remained at an all-time high among adults in 2023

The percentage of adults who used cannabis and hallucinogens in the past year remained at historically high levels in 2023, according to the latest results of the University of Michigan’s Monitoring the Future survey.

The results show that the prevalence of adults aged 19 to 30 and 35 to 50 who used cannabis and hallucinogens in the past year remained at higher levels compared to previous years.

In contrast, tobacco cigarette consumption remained at historic lows in both adult groups last year.

Last-month and daily alcohol consumption among 19- to 30-year-olds continued to decline as it has for a decade, with binge drinking reaching historic lows. Among 35- to 50-year-olds, however, the prevalence of binge drinking increased in 2023 compared to five and ten years ago, respectively.

The study “Monitoring the Future” is conducted by scientists at the Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan and funded by the National Institutes of Health.

The number of reports of vaping nicotine or cannabis in the past year increased among adults ages 19 to 30 over a five-year period, and both trends remained at record highs in 2023. Among adults ages 35 to 50, the prevalence of vaping nicotine and cannabis remained unchanged from the previous year, with long-term trends (five and 10 years) not yet apparent in this age group since this question was added to the survey for this age group in 2019.

In 2023, for the first time, women aged 19-30 reported using cannabis in the past year more often than men in the same age group, reflecting a reversal of the gender gap. Conversely, men aged 35-50 continued to have a higher prevalence of cannabis use in the past year than women in the same age group, consistent with observations over the past decade.

Alcohol remains the most commonly used substance across all age groups, followed by cannabis and nicotine. Longer-term trends suggest that cannabis and psychedelics use is increasing among both young and middle-aged adults, and that vaping of nicotine and cannabis is increasing among young adults. Some indicators of alcohol use have increased among middle-aged adults but decreased among young adults. Understanding these population-level patterns should inform our research and public health priorities.”

Megan Patrick, ISR research professor and lead researcher of the MTF panel study

Since 1975, the Monitoring the Future study has annually examined the drug use behaviors and attitudes of a nationally representative sample of teenagers. A subset of these participants (about 20,000 people per year) are followed up as part of a longitudinal study. Data are collected from individuals every two years between ages 19 and 30 and every five years after age 30 to track their drug use into adulthood. Participants provide self-reports of their drug use behaviors over various time periods, including lifetime, past year (12 months), past month (30 days), and other frequencies of use depending on the type of substance.

Data for the 2023 panel study were collected via online and paper surveys from April 2023 to October 2023. Key findings include:

Cannabis consumption in the past year and in the past month remained at historically high levels for both adult groups in 2023. Among adults ages 19 to 30, about 42%, 29%, and 10%, respectively, reported using cannabis in the past year, past month, and daily (20 or more times in the past 30 days). Among adults ages 35 to 50, the figures reached 29%, 19%, and 8%, respectively. Although these 2023 estimates are not statistically different from those of the previous year, they reflect increases over five and ten years, respectively, for both age groups.

Vaporizing cannabis 22% and 14% of 19- to 30-year-olds reported having died in the past year and the past month, respectively, and by 2023, the figure had risen to 9% and 6% of 35- to 50-year-olds. For the younger group, these figures represent a historical high and an increase compared to five years ago, while for the middle-aged adult group, they reflect no change compared to previous years.

Nicotine vaping Among adults ages 19-30, the prevalence of nicotine use remained at record levels in 2023. Reports of nicotine vaping in the past year and past month reached 25% and 19%, respectively. These percentages represent an increase from five years ago, but not from the previous year. Among adults ages 35-50, the prevalence of nicotine vaping remained unchanged from previous years, with 7% and 5% reporting use in the past year and past month, respectively.

hallucinogen Past-year use continued its five-year steep increase for both adult groups, reaching 9% for adults 19-30 and 4% for adults 35-50 in 2023. Types of hallucinogens reported by participants included LSD, mescaline, peyote, mushrooms or psilocybin, and PCP.

alcohol remains the most commonly used substance among adults in the study. Past-year alcohol consumption among adults ages 19-30 has shown a slight upward trend over the past five years, with 84% reporting it in 2023. However, past-month alcohol consumption (65%), daily alcohol consumption (4%), and binge drinking (27%) all remained at study lows in 2023 among adults ages 19-30. These numbers are down from 10 years ago. Past-month alcohol consumption and binge drinking (defined as five or more drinks in the past two weeks) declined significantly for this age group compared to last year (down from 68% and 31%, respectively, in 2022).

About 84% of adults aged 35-50 reported drinking alcohol in the past year in 2023. This has not changed significantly compared to previous years. Past-month alcohol consumption and binge drinking have increased slightly in this age group over the past 10 years. In 2023, past-month alcohol consumption was 69% and binge drinking was 27%. Daily alcohol consumption has declined in this group over the past five years and was at its lowest level ever recorded in 2023 (8%).

Further data: In 2023, past-month cigarette use, past-year nonmedical prescription drug use, and past-year opioid drug use (recorded as “narcotics other than heroin”) remained down from five and 10 years ago for both adult groups, respectively. Among adults ages 19-30, past-year stimulant use (recorded as “amphetamines”) has declined over the past decade, while among adults ages 35-50, past-year stimulant use has increased slightly over 10 years. Additional data include drug use reported by young adults with/without a college degree and across various demographic subgroups, including sex and gender, and race and ethnicity.

In the survey year 2023, a cohort of the Monitoring the Future study reached the age of 65 for the first time. Since 2023 is the first year in which data was collected from this group, no trends are yet available for the 55- to 65-year-old age group.

“The 2023 data did not show us many significant changes from the previous year, but the power of surveys like Monitoring the Future is to see the ebb and flow of various trends in substance use over time,” Patrick said. “As more and more of our original cohorts – initially recruited as teenagers – now reach later adulthood, we will be able to examine the patterns and effects of drug use across the life course.

“This study will provide important data in the coming years on trends in substance use and health outcomes among older adults as they retire or begin a new chapter in their lives.”

For more information on the data collection methods for the Monitoring the Future panel study and how the survey takes into account the impact of potential exclusions in the report, click here.

Results from the associated 2023 Monitoring the Future study on substance use behavior and attitudes among teenagers in the United States were released in December 2023, with 2024 results expected in December 2024.