Young American adults use more cannabis and psychedelics

The cannabis use and psychedelic substances among young American adults has reached a record high, according to a federal survey. The data was collected by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and shows a resurgence after a year of low consumption of all substances by young adults in 2020 due to the pandemic.

The survey was conducted among people aged 19 to 60 from April to October 2021 and found that 43% of young adults (aged 19 to 30) reported having used cannabis 20 times or more in the previous month, an increase of 34 % compared to the results of previous surveys. These increases were also observed among people aged 50 to 54, to a lesser extent.

The researchers who conducted the investigation are surprised by these results, which show that young adults are not only more interested in cannabis and psychedelics than previous generations, but also in nicotine vaping and alcohol.

According to the NIH, reports of binge drinking among young adults (defined as having five or more drinks in a row within the past two weeks) returned to pre-pandemic levels in 2021 after significantly decreasing in 2020.

«Heavy drinking, defined as having had 10 or more drinks in a row in the past two weeks, was at its highest level since it was first measured in 2005, reported by 13.1% of young adults in 2021, compared to 11.1% in 2005. However, the Alcohol consumption in the last few months and in recent years, as well as daily alcohol consumption, have been declining among young adults for 10 years.»

Numerous factors contribute to this outcome, according to the study. In addition to a more lenient attitude in the case of cannabis and, to some extent, psychedelic substances, these figures also reflect the mental health of young adults in the United States, which likely collapsed as a result of the pandemic.

Dr. Nora Volkow, director of the NIH, called these findings «very concerning.».

«What they're telling us is that the problem of drug use among young people has worsened in this country and that the pandemic, with all its mental stressors and upheavals, has likely contributed to this increase,» she said. declared.

In a separate poll conducted by Gallup Last week, more Americans (16%) reported having smoked cannabis than tobacco (11%) in the past week.

Personal experience with cannabis is also strongly linked to Americans' opinions on it:

• A large majority of adults who say they have tried cannabis—nearly half of Americans—believe that its effects on users (70%) and on society as a whole (66%) are positive
• Conversely, the majority of those who have never tried cannabis believe its effects are negative: 72% say this about its effects on society, and 62% about its effects on users.