How Cannabis Use is Evolving Across the United States

Laws prohibiting marijuana sale and use have been loosening across the country over the past decade. While adult-use legalization measures failed in all the states aside from Nebraska that had it on the ballot this year, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is currently holding hearings to debate rescheduling the drug.

What States Have Legalized Recreational Marijuana in the U.S.?

Despite marijuana currently being classified as a Schedule 1 (illicit) drug, it is currently legal for medicinal use in 38 states and legal for recreational use in 24, as well as in the District of Columbia.

Marijuana is currently legal for adult recreational use in:

With several other states decriminalizing or legalizing CBD-only versions of the drug, Wyoming, South Carolina, and Kansas, remain the only states where cannabis is 100% illegal.

What Would Rescheduling Mean for Marijuana?

Rescheduling the drug from Schedule 1 to Schedule 3 would redefine the drug as having “moderate to low potential for physical and psychological dependence.” Other drugs in this class include ketamine, testosterone, and anabolic steroids. This action would also further legitimize cannabis as a drug with recognized medicinal benefits.

Rescheduling would likely expand access to the drug; however, it may actually make obtaining medical marijuana harder to obtain for many patients. This is because it would make it necessary for patients to get a prescription for the drug, where in most states all they currently need is a medical marijuana card. The law would likely put many medical marijuana dispensaries out of business, since the only legal way to get marijuana with a prescription would be from a licensed pharmacy.

One of the arguments in favor of rescheduling the drug is that it would allow further research into marijuana use in treatment of serious medical conditions. There is current research that supports marijuana use in the treatment of AIDS, ALS, glaucoma, PTSD, Tourette’s, and more. However, its Schedule 1 classification critically interferes with research into new and more effective uses of medical marijuana for these conditions.

Is Cannabis Use on the Rise Across the U.S.?

Almost all demographics have seen a recent increase of marijuana use. While general alcohol use is still more common, it is now more common for someone to smoke, vape, or consume pot on a daily basis than it is for them to drink alcohol.

The one exception to this trend is teens, whose marijuana use has declined over the past few years. This suggests that recreational-use laws, which prohibit people under 21 from buying cannabis, have been effective in keeping teens from partaking.

However, skeptics argue that this is simply part of an encouraging larger trend in which the younger generation is using all illicit drugs at a lower rate than millennials and Gen X-ers. Some claim that the COVID-19 pandemic also may be partially responsible, since teens were forced to stay inside and under parental supervision.

Cannabis use has increased among all other demographics surveyed:

• 13% of people with a college degree used cannabis in 2022, which is more than triple the amount that used the drug nine years prior (4%).
• More than twice the percentage of people in households that earn $75,000 or more in a year (13%) used marijuana in 2022 than in 2013 (6%).
• 23.9% of Americans 26 years old and older admitted to using the drug in the past month, according to the 2023 National Survey on Drug Use and Health.
• Marijuana use is highest among non-hispanic multi-ethnic people (25%).
• 40% of people who use cannabis do so daily.

Much of this is likely due to marijuana legalization and decriminalization, as well as the associated shifting public perception toward the drug.

Why Are Edibles and Vapes Gaining Popularity?

Another explanation for the rising popularity of marijuana is the different methods of using it. While eating or consuming the drug is not a new phenomenon, these other forms of the drug have never been easier to access. Pre-packaged vape cartridges are available at marijuana dispensaries alongside baked goods and candies.

Vaping or eating the drug may be more attractive for people unwilling to inhale smoke. There is a perceived safety of consuming weed in these ways and they are less conspicuous, emitting less odor than marijuana smoke produces. However, these methods of use may carry an increased risk of overdoing it, since these products often contain extremely high concentrations of THC (the active chemical in marijuana) as well as a delayed onset of effect.

While fatal overdose on marijuana is nearly impossible, it can cause lasting traumatic psychological effects.

Health Concerns of Marijuana Use

With the wave of legalization sweeping across the U.S. and discussion of rescheduling, many critics have been quick to raise the alarm on the health dangers of marijuana.

Marijuana use can:

• Impair short-term memory.
• Cause an increase in appetite and subsequent weight gain.
• Increase blood pressure, heart rate, and respiration.
• Cause anxiety and paranoia, as well as hallucinations in very high doses.
• Increase the risk of cancer, mostly in people who frequently smoke the drug.

In addition, chronic marijuana use can lead to the development of a cannabis use disorder (also known as addiction), which is when someone continues to use the drug despite it causing clinically significant impairment in their lives.

Addiction Treatment for Marijuana

It is rarely necessary for patients to enter detox or residential rehabilitation treatment for marijuana use. That said, outpatient drug counseling is largely effective; evidence-based forms of behavioral therapy for marijuana addiction include:

• Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). CBT helps patients repair unhealthy thought and behavioral patterns for dealing with stressors and triggers.
• Motivational interviewing/motivational enhancement therapy (MET). MET is a collaborative process between patient and counselor, in which patients are encouraged to set goals and observe how substance use interferes with attaining them. It helps patients become less apathetic toward their recovery.
• Contingency management (CM). This form involves giving tangible rewards (e.g., cash vouchers, movie tickets, etc.) when patients hit goals and recovery milestones, such as passing a drug screen.

Many people that have cannabis use disorder also suffer from polydrug addiction, since the drug is often used in conjunction with other substances like alcohol, cocaine, opioids, methamphetamine, and others.

American Addiction Centers (AAC) provides evidence-based, individualized treatment for alcohol and drug addiction throughout several rehab centers across the country. Call a compassionate admissions navigator to learn more or to begin treatment today. You can also verify your insurance using the confidential online form.