Gallup Poll Reveals 25% of Middle-Aged Americans Smoke Marijuana

25% of adults between the ages of 30 and 49 acknowledge that they “smoke marijuana,” according to nationwide polling by Gallup.

Overall, 17% of all US adults acknowledged cannabis use. That total is more than twice as high as the percentage reported by Gallup in 2013 – prior to any states legalizing the adult use of marijuana.

Smoking marijuana was most prevalent among middle-aged adults. Among younger adults, 23% said that they smoked cannabis. 10% of respondents aged 50 to 64 said that they smoked marijuana, although separate polling by AARP and others have documented greater usage among older adults.

Only 11% of US adults said that they smoked cigarettes.

Data previously compiled by Gallup finds that half of all Americans ages 18 and older have tried cannabis, most believe that its use poses fewer risks to health than does either the use of alcohol or cigarettes, and approximately two in three believe that it should be legal.