Statistics on Marijuana Abuse

Marijuana Abuse

How Many People Abuse Marijuana

How many people abuse marijuana? A recent government survey tells us:

Marijuana is the most frequently used illegal drug in the United States. Over 83 million Americans over the age of 12 have tried marijuana at least once.

The Monitoring the Future Survey on How Many People Abuse Marijuana, which is conducted yearly, includes students from 8th, 10th, and 12th grades. In 2001, the survey showed that 20 percent of 8th-graders have tried marijuana at least once, and by 10th grade, 20 percent are users (that is, used within the past month). Among 12th-graders, nearly 50 percent have tried marijuana/hash at least once, and about 22 percent were current users. Other researchers have found that use of marijuana and other drugs usually peaks in the late teens and early twenties, then declines in later years.

How many people abuse marijuana around the world?

The global number of people who have abused marijuana at least once in 2007 is estimated to be between 143 and 190 million persons. The highest levels of marijuana abuse are in North America and Western Europe. However, the good news is there are signs from recent studies that the levels of use are declining in developed countries, particularly among young people.

National Survey on Drug Use and Health & National Household Survey on Drug Abuse, Multiple Years

Marijuana Use Among Those 12 and Older -- by Number of Users (1979 - 2008)
Year	Ever Used	Past Year	Past Month
1979	50,322,000	29,869,000	23,790,000
1982	53,312,000	29,685,000	21,507,000
1985	56,547,000	26,145,000	18,641,000
1988	60,755,000	19,492,000	12,353,000
1991	61,900,000	18,067,000	10,366,000
1992	62,075,000	16,322,000	9,676,000
1993	64,149,000	17,510,000	9,610,000
1994	65,229,000	17,813,000	10,112,000
1995	65,545,000	17,755,000	9,842,000
1996	68,571,000	18,398,000	10,095,000
1997	71,112,000	19,446,000	11,109,000
1998	72,070,000	18,710,000	11,016,000
1999	76,428,000	19,102,000	10,458,000
2000	76,321,000	18,589,000	10,714,000
2001	83,272,000	21,086,000	12,122,000
2002	94,946,000	25,755,000	14,584,000
2003	96,611,000	25,231,000	14,638,000
2004	96,772,000	25,451,000	14,576,000
2005	97,545,000	25,375,000	14,626,000
2006	97,825,000	25,378,000	14,813,000
2007	100,518,000	25,085,000	14,448,000
2008	102,404,000	25,768,000	15,203,000

Does marijuana abuse lead to addiction?

Not everyone who uses marijuana becomes addicted. When an user begins to seek out and take the drug compulsively, that person is said to be dependent on the drug or addicted to it. In 1999, over 220,000 people entering drug treatment programs reported marijuana as their primary drug of abuse, showing they needed help to stop using.

Some heavy users of marijuana show signs of dependence because when they do not use the drug, they develop withdrawal symptoms. Some subjects in an experiment on marijuana withdrawal had symptoms, such as restlessness, loss of appetite, trouble sleeping, weight loss, and shaky hands.

According to one study, marijuana use by teenagers who have prior serious antisocial problems can quickly lead to dependence on the drug. That study also found that, for troubled teenagers using tobacco, alcohol, and marijuana, progression from their first use of marijuana to regular use was about as rapid as their progression to regular tobacco use, and more rapid than the progression to regular use of alcohol.


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