Marijuana Use Tops Cigarettes in US for First Time, Gallup Finds

The Numbers Behind the Shift

An estimated 17 million Americans now smoke marijuana daily or near-daily, edging past the 16 million who smoke cigarettes with the same frequency. The Gallup data, drawn from surveys conducted between January and July 2026, shows cannabis use climbing steadily since 2013 while cigarette prevalence continues its half-century decline.

Daily cigarette smoking peaked in the mid-1970s at roughly 30% of U.S. adults. By 2026, that figure sits below 9%. Daily or near-daily cannabis use, meanwhile, has tripled since 2013, when Gallup first began tracking the metric in its current form.

The study defines "daily or near-daily" as use on 20 or more days per month. Occasional users weren't counted in the headline comparison. That means the total number of Americans who consume cannabis at any frequency remains significantly higher.

Regional and Demographic Patterns

Cannabis consumption clusters heavily in states with legal adult-use markets, though Gallup's data shows rising use in prohibition states as well. Adults under 35 drive the bulk of the increase. Daily use rates in that cohort nearly double the national average.

The generational divide is stark: Americans born after 1990 view cannabis more favorably than any prior generation viewed alcohol during Prohibition's repeal.

Gender gaps persist. Men report daily cannabis use at roughly 1.5 times the rate of women, a pattern consistent across most substance-use surveys. Income and education variables show weaker correlations than in prior decades, suggesting normalization is cutting across traditional demographic boundaries.

What Operators and Advocates Are Saying

The data arrives as cannabis retailers in mature markets report stable or growing customer counts despite economic headwinds. While Gallup didn't release operator commentary with the survey, the findings align with point-of-sale trends tracked by analytics firms in California, Colorado, and Michigan.

Public-health advocates have flagged the rise in daily use as a signal for targeted education campaigns, particularly around youth access and impaired driving. No major health organization has called for renewed prohibition. Several have urged states to funnel tax revenue into prevention and treatment infrastructure.

For context on shifting consumption patterns and market maturation, see the CannIntel topic hub on Cannabis Consumption Trends.

The Policy and Market Implications

The Gallup milestone strengthens the political case for federal rescheduling and banking reform, as lawmakers can no longer credibly frame cannabis as a fringe behavior. With nearly one in ten adults consuming daily, the user base now rivals or exceeds that of many FDA-regulated substances.

Retailers and MSOs are likely to cite the data in investor presentations and lobbying efforts. The numbers also complicate the DEA's ongoing rescheduling review, which hinges partly on "current accepted medical use" and "abuse potential." Both criteria become harder to argue in a landscape where daily use outpaces cigarettes.

Insurance and employment-law implications remain murky. Daily use doesn't automatically signal impairment, but workplace drug policies in most states still treat any THC metabolite as disqualifying. Expect renewed litigation and legislative pushes around employment protections in 2027.

• 24 states now permit adult-use sales, covering roughly 54% of the U.S. population
• Federal rescheduling from Schedule I to Schedule III remains pending before an administrative law judge
• Daily cannabis users now outnumber daily cigarette smokers by an estimated 1 million adults

The next major data point: CDC's Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System results for 2026, expected in early 2027, which will provide state-by-state breakdowns and allow researchers to model consumption against local policy variables. If the trend holds, we're watching the tail end of a 50-year substitution curve and the beginning of a regulatory reckoning that treats cannabis like the mass-market consumer product it's become.