A new study found that daily marijuana use is, for the first time, outpacing daily alcohol consumption in the United States. Trends in marijuana use follow policy changes, with periods of increased marijuana use correlating with decreased restrictions on the substance, according to the study.

Johnson, Carla. Daily marijuana use outpaces daily drinking in the US, a new study says. AP News. May 22, 2024.

Youth and young adults are also drinking less today than they were one or two decades ago.

Holmes J, Fairbrother H, Livingston M, et al. Youth drinking in decline: What are the implications for public health, public policy and public debate?. Int J Drug Policy. 2022;102:103606. doi:10.1016/j.drugpo.2022.103606

Alcohol is one of the leading causes of preventable deaths in the US—where an estimated 178,000-plus deaths per year are attributed to excessive alcohol use, according to The Alcohol-Related Disease Impact application.

National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. Alcohol-Related Emergencies and Deaths in the United States. 2024.

Excessive alcohol drinking can lead to impaired judgment in the moment and increase chances of developing conditions like diabetes, obesity, and other chronic conditions in the future—all of which can put a person’s health at risk. As a result, decreasing alcohol use can have a multitude of benefits on a person’s health.

However, it is unclear whether replacing alcohol with marijuana has the same positive impact.  

Cannabis unknowns

Nora Volkow, MD, the director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), says that there are many unknowns of cannabis due to a substantial lack of research on the plant.

“While many of the health effects of alcohol have been well established through decades of research, we do not have the same evidence base for cannabis at present,” Dr. Volkow says. “Rigorous research on the potential risks, benefits, and health effects of cannabis use is urgently needed.”

What researchers do know about marijuana is mixed, with some evidence showing that the drug can be successful at treating types of pain, weight loss, and epilepsy—and other reports showing adverse health effects like addiction, respiratory problems, accidents, psychosis, and cardiovascular events.

To date, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not approved a drug containing the whole cannabis or marijuana plant. However, the agency has approved some cannabis and marijuana-based products for medication.

O'Donnell B, Meissner H, Gupta V. Dronabinol. [Updated 2023 Sep 4]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2024 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK557531/

Some FDA-approved cannabis-based medications include dronabinol and nabilone, which are THC-based and treat nausea and vomiting associated with cancer chemotherapy as well as weight loss associated with HIV and AIDS.

As usage rises, Dr. Volkow says it is important for research to “continue to explore potential therapeutic effects of cannabis to help inform individual and public health decisions, including strategies to minimize potential harms associated with cannabis use.