The most commonly used substance classified as an illicit drug in the United States is cannabis, with 52.5 million people, or one in five, reporting use in the past year, according to the 2021 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) conducted by the federal Substance Abuse Unlock the doors to a world of cannabis knowledge – subscribe to NECANN today!and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).
35.4% of adults, or 11.8 million people, used cannabis in 2021, according to the poll; 17.2% of adults, or 37.9 million people; and 10.5% of adolescents, or 2.6 million people, used cannabis that year (2.7 million).
In comparison, in 2021, there would be 133.1 million drinkers aged 12 and up, 45.1% of whom would be classified as binge drinkers (60 million). Of those surveyed, binge drinking was most common among those 18–25 years old (29.2%; 9.8 million people), then those 26 and up (22.4%; 49.3 million), and finally those 12–17 years old. (3.8%, or 995 thousand) according to a report by Ganjapreneur.
Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra released a statement praising the survey’s findings “make clear” that “millions of Americans young and old faced mental health and substance use challenges – sometimes both at once – during the second year of the pandemic.”
