Cigarette Use Down, Marijuana Use Up in US
The number of cigarette smokers in the United States has decreased to its lowest level in at least 78 years. That's according to data company Gallup.
However, at the same time, marijuana use is increasing in the country.
When asked in July 2022, just 11% of people said they had smoked a cigarette in the past week. That's the lowest number since Gallup began its surveys in 1944, when the number was 41%. It was as high as 45% in 1954.
Also in July 2022, 16% of people said they currently smoke marijuana, the highest percentage since 2013, when the question was first asked. Forty-eight percent of people said they had tried it.
Americans are divided on the subject of marijuana use. But 72% of those who have never tried it — and more than a third of those who have — think it has a negative effect on society.
Marijuana is legal to use for pleasure in 19 US states, and 38 allow it for medical reasons.
While the health problems linked to cigarettes are well-known, studies into marijuana use have been less clear.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, cigarette smoking is responsible for over 480,000 deaths per year in the US.
Marijuana is more difficult to study because it can be taken in different ways, in different amounts and mixed with other things.
Some studies have shown that it is safer than cigarette smoking, but scientists agree that more research is needed.
