Figures released Monday by the federal National Survey on Drug Use and Health show that, in 2025, more Americans used marijuana on a daily or near daily basis than either cigarettes or alcohol.
The survey counted 21.4 million daily or near daily marijuana users. That stood above 19.9 million daily or near daily cigarette users and 17.2 million daily or near daily drinkers. The 2025 numbers mark the first time on record that marijuana has ranked as the most common daily use substance among the three.
It’s official: pot is a more popular daily drug than alcohol or cigarettes.
New data[1] from the federal National Survey on Drug Use and Health show that for 2025:
* 21.4M daily/near-daily marijuana users
* 19.9M daily/near-daily cigarette users
* 17.2M daily/near-daily alcohol… pic.twitter.com/SqHQFlNPDY— Charles Fain Lehman (@CharlesFLehman) July 27, 2026
The daily use shift sits within a broader pattern of changing habits around alcohol and cannabis. An overview of consumer trends in April noted that daily cannabis users had already surpassed daily drinkers in earlier data sets, and that interest in cutting back on alcohol has grown, especially among younger adults. Surveys referenced in that discussion found many people viewing cannabis as a less harmful option in some situations.
The rise in daily use also comes as the Trump administration has moved to reclassify marijuana. In December, President Donald Trump signed an order opening the door to moving marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III, a category for substances with moderate to low potential for dependence. Earlier this year, the Justice Department acted on Trump’s order and moved to place “both FDA-approved products containing marijuana and marijuana products regulated by a state medical marijuana license” as a Schedule III drug.
The change does not legalize the drug at the federal level but could reduce the severity of related offenses. Nearly 50 organizations signed a letter urging the administration to keep marijuana as a Schedule I substance, arguing it still meets the definition of a drug with high potential for abuse and no currently accepted medical use.
Other measures in the study released on Monday show the past month use of illicit drugs or alcohol among people aged 12 or older at 49.8% in 2025, which was lower than the rates recorded in previous years covered by the survey. However, lifetime use of illicit drugs, nicotine products, or alcohol remained high at 82.9%. Marijuana remained the most widely used illicit drug across the measures.
Among people aged 12 to 17, past month use of illicit drugs or alcohol fell to 9.5%, as past year use of nicotine products or alcohol in that age group stood at 20%. For adults 18 and older, past month illicit drugs or alcohol use was 53.7%, and past year illicit drugs or alcohol use among adults 18 and older came in at 68.6%.
Past year cocaine use was 1.7% among people 12 and older, while heroin use for the same age group in the past year was 0.2%. Methamphetamine past year use registered at 0.9%. Misuse of prescription psychotherapeutics in the past year was 4.4%.
For the 18 to 25 age group, past year illicit drug use stood at 36.3%. Past year marijuana use in that group was 33.7%. Past month illicit drug or alcohol use among 18- to 25-year-olds was 52.8%. Among those 26 and older, past year illicit drug use was lower, but it still remained substantial.
The National Survey on Drug Use and Health is conducted each year by SAMHSA. It interviews people in the civilian, noninstitutionalized population and produces the government’s primary estimates of substance use and related issues.
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