Number of U.S. Americans who used illicit drugs in their lifetime 2023, by drug type
Marijuana, followed by cocaine and LSD, is the most used illicit drug in the United States. As of 2023, around 133.5 million people in the United States had used marijuana at some point in their lifetime. In the past few years, a number of states have legalized marijuana for both recreational and medical purposes, creating a new and thriving market.
Legal cannabis
As of the beginning of 2023, 21 U.S. states had legalised the use of cannabis for recreational purposes. Sales of legal cannabis were estimated to reach 21.3 billion U.S. dollars in 2023, with this number expected to grow to 25 billion by the year 2025. By that time, the state of California is expected to account for around 20 percent of the legal cannabis industry. Florida and Illinois are expected to account for the second and third highest shares of the industry with eight percent each.
Teen cannabis use
Despite the recent change of legality in many U.S. states, the perceived availability of marijuana among 12th graders has decreased in recent years. Nevertheless, around 70 percent of 12th graders stated they perceived it to be “fairly easy” or “very easy” to obtain marijuana. Past month use of marijuana among high school students has also declined from figures reported in the late 1990s, but around 11 percent of high school students still report having used marijuana in the past month.
