Historical Trends in Cannabis Use among U.S. Adults Aged 19-55, 2013-2021

Objective: The current study used U.S. national data to examine trends in cannabis use from 2013–2021, focusing on changes in cannabis prevalence during young and middle adulthood, and whether trends differed by sociodemographic characteristics. Method: Data from 2013–2021 from 21,133 respondents aged 19–30 and 29,898 aged 35–55 in the national Monitoring the Future panel study (followed since they were in 12th grade in 1976-2020) were used to model historical trends in cannabis prevalence (any 12-month use, any 30-day use, and near-daily use 20+ occasions in the past 30 days). Results: Prevalence of 12-month, 30-day, and near-daily cannabis use significantly increased from 2013–2021 for both young and middle adults. Trends for all three behaviors indicated either consistent linear increases or two-slope increases where the slope estimate was larger in more recent years. Historical increases in 12-month and 30-day use were similar for young and middle adulthood; the historical increase in near-daily use among middle adults had some evidence for a possible pandemic-related deviation. Historical trends did not differ by race/ethnicity or college degree. Trends for 12-month and 30-day use differed by sex, with females increasing more than males over time, especially during middle adulthood. Conclusions: Significant increases in the prevalence of cannabis use have occurred over the past decade for young and middle adults across sociodemographic groups, with some indication that near-daily use increased among middle adults at the onset of the pandemic. Although males continue to have higher prevalence than females, the gap has narrowed with greater increases in cannabis use among women.