Number of Americans who used illicit drugs in past year 2020, by drug type

Marijuana is by far the most used illicit drug in the United States, with around 49.6 million people using this drug in 2020. The second most used drug at that time was cocaine, followed by LSD and ecstasy. The United States has had a complicated history with drugs, from fighting a “War on Drugs” starting in the 1970s, to seeing the legalisation of marijuana in many states, and experiencing an ongoing nationwide opioid overdose epidemic.

Recreational marijuana

Although marijuana is still illegal under federal law, 18 states have legalized the recreational use of marijuana. This legalization has opened a new and thriving market in these states. It is estimated that sales of legal cannabis will reach around 42 billion U.S. dollars by the year 2026. Although support for the legalization of marijuana has not always been strong, now around 68 percent of U.S. adults believe it should be made legal.

The opioid epidemic

The opioid epidemic describes a rise in overdose deaths in the U.S. due to prescription opioids, heroin, and illegally manufactured synthetic opioids such as fentanyl. The epidemic stems from misleading information from pharmaceutical companies concerning the dangers of opioids such as oxycontin, overprescribing of opioids from physicians, and an influx of easily accessible heroin and highly potent synthetic opioids. In 2019, there were around 49,860 deaths from opioid overdose in the United States.