This week, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) released the 2023 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), which serves as the leading federal estimate of trends in drug, tobacco, and alcohol use. The focus of this edition is on the number of monthly users of tobacco versus marijuana from 2003 to 2023.
Trends in Marijuana and Tobacco Use (2003-2023)
Over the past 20 years, there has been a significant shift in the usage patterns of marijuana and tobacco:
- Marijuana Use: The number of past-month marijuana users increased by 198.18%, rising from approximately 14.7 million in 2003 to 43.6 million in 2023.
- Tobacco Use: In contrast, the number of monthly tobacco users decreased by 29.49%, dropping from 70.8 million in 2003 to 49.9 million in 2023.
If these trends continue, it is anticipated that there will soon be more past-month users of marijuana than tobacco.
The Emergence of Big Tobacco 2.0
These trends indicate the emergence of what is being termed “Big Tobacco 2.0.” This phase is characterised by the legalisation of marijuana and the subsequent rise of a profit-driven marijuana industry. While the nation has made efforts to address the harms caused by Big Tobacco, it appears to be overlooking the next public health crisis: the increasing use of marijuana.
Dr. Kevin Sabet, a prominent figure in this discussion, emphasised that the latest data underscores a long-standing concern. He stated, “This latest data makes clear what we’ve said all along, the normalisation and industrialisation of today’s high potency THC drug products is a self-made public health crisis for this country.”
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