For the first time since the federal government began tracking substance use, more Americans report using cannabis on a daily or near-daily basis than either cigarettes or alcohol, according to newly released federal data.
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The finding comes from the 2025 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, published this week by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The survey estimates that 21.4 million people age 12 and older used cannabis on 20 or more days in the past month. By comparison, 19.9 million reported smoking cigarettes daily or near daily, while 17.2 million consumed alcohol at that same frequency.
The numbers don’t mean cannabis has surpassed alcohol in overall popularity. Alcohol remains by far the most widely consumed substance, with significantly more Americans reporting drinking at least once during the previous month. Rather, the data show that cannabis consumers are now more likely to use the substance frequently, while daily alcohol consumption and cigarette smoking continue to decline.
The findings build on a trend GreenState previously reported, showing daily cannabis use overtaking daily alcohol consumption. The 2025 survey marks the first time daily, or near-daily cannabis use has exceeded both alcohol and cigarette use within the same federal dataset.
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Widely regarded as one of the nation’s most comprehensive snapshots of substance use and mental health, the annual survey also found several encouraging trends among younger Americans. Between 2021 and 2025, adolescents and young adults reported declines in alcohol, tobacco, and cannabis use, along with reductions in several measures of substance use disorders and improvements in some mental health indicators.
Public health experts caution that millions of Americans still struggle with substance use disorders. Even so, the report underscores a significant shift in American consumption habits, with cannabis increasingly replacing traditional substances as the country’s most commonly used daily intoxicant.