American adults under age 35 are far more likely to frequently use marijuana than those over age 65, a new study finds.
Researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital and the University of California San Francisco used data from a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) survey program, including over 380,000 respondents, to examine cannabis use trends.
Adults between ages 18 and 34 were four times as likely to use pot at a high frequency compared to seniors, and adults between ages 35 and 64 were twice as likely to use it compared to seniors.
In addition, the researchers found black adults, Native American adults, non-college graduates, and those living in states where recreational marijuana is legal were more likely to use the drug at high frequencies.
The study indicates marijuana's increasing popularity with younger Americans and those with lower socioeconomic positions, suggesting that health screenings and education should be made increasingly available for these populations.
Adults under age 35 are four times as likely to frequently use marijuana than those over 65, while adults in the 35 to 64 age range are twice as likely, the researchers found
Adults living in states where recreational marijuana use is legal were almost three times more likely to frequently use the drug than adults in states where it's illegal (file image)
In the last two decades, marijuana use has increased significantly in the U.S.
Between 2002 and 2019, the share of adults using this drug increased from 10 percent to 18 percent, according to data from the Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality.
The share of adults using marijuana daily or almost daily rose from one percent to almost four percent.
Some studies suggest that frequent marijuana use may lead to adverse health outcomes, such as respiratory conditions, memory loss, poor educational outcomes and increased risk of some forms of cancer.
Marijuana use can also impact mental health treatments for patients with anxiety and depression.
A new study provides detailed findings on which U.S. communities are most likely to use marijuana - putting them at higher risk of these health outcomes.
Researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital and the University of California San Francisco used data from a CDC health survey to examine marijuana use trends for the study published on Tuesday in JAMA Network Open.
This anonymous CDC survey, the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, added marijuana questions in 2016.
Questions included how often respondents use marijuana and how they consume it - through smoking, vaping, or other methods.
In total, the analysis utilized data from 387,000 adults
