US Struggles with Marijuana and Binge Drinking... 11% of Young Men Smoke Marijuana Daily

"Not Limited to Young Adults"
Rapid Increase in Smoking Among Middle-Aged Men

The United States is deeply immersed in binge drinking and marijuana use.

The New York Times (NYT) reported on the 18th (local time), citing a study supported by the U.S. National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), that last year, 44% of men aged 19 to 30 said they had smoked marijuana in the past year. This is nearly double the 28% reported in 2012. The percentage of those who said they "smoke marijuana daily" also reached 11%.

Marijuana smoking is rapidly increasing as various regions in the U.S. are transitioning to legalization.

Currently, out of the 50 states in the U.S., 38 have legalized medical marijuana, and 23 have legalized recreational use.

Nora Volkow, director of NIDA, stated, "It has been confirmed that hallucinogen use is not limited to adolescents or young adults."

Middle-aged people have also fallen into binge drinking and marijuana use. This study defined binge drinking as "having consumed alcohol for five consecutive days in the past two weeks," and found that 29.2% of middle-aged American men were binge drinkers. In a survey conducted 10 years ago in 2012, the binge drinking rate among American men in the same age group was 22.8%.

The increase in marijuana use is even greater. In 2012, 13% of middle-aged American men admitted to having smoked marijuana in the past year, but last year, that figure rose to 28%, more than doubling.

According to a survey published recently in JAMA Network Open, due to the trend of legalizing medical and recreational marijuana in the U.S. and other countries, 44% of people believe marijuana is safer than tobacco.

However, the researchers expressed concern about the spread of perceptions contrary to scientific facts, stating, "What we have learned over the past few years is that marijuana is as harmful as, if not more harmful than, tobacco."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.