Americans’ perceptions of cannabis’ effects have become less optimistic over the last two years; a slight majority now worry that most users (51%) and society as a whole are harmed by it. This is a significant change from 2022, when opinions were more evenly divided and more people (53%) thought marijuana had a good impact on users, while only 45% thought it had a negative one.
These new insights are based on a Gallup Consumption Habits survey conducted from July 1 to July 21, 2024, which shows that a sizable portion of different demographics still have favorable opinions of marijuana. This group comprises those who have personally experimented with marijuana, Democrats, young people aged 18 to 34 years of age, and those who seldom or never attend religious events.
Those who have never tried cannabis, Republicans, those who attend religious services regularly, and those who are 55 years of age or older, on the other hand, have different opinions and generally believe that most cannabis users have been negatively impacted. Notably, opinions are more divided among independents and people aged between 35 and 54 years old.
A pattern that is evident in all of these groups is a decline in the perception of cannabis’ beneficial effects as compared to prior years. Furthermore, fewer than one-half of respondents in each of these categories now believe that cannabis has a beneficial impact on society.
In a different section of the poll, Gallup asked respondents to rank the level of danger associated with chewing tobacco, cigarettes, e-cigarettes, pipes, cigars, nicotine patches, cannabis and alcohol.
While all eight narcotics are viewed as “somewhat” or “very” hazardous by most Americans, marijuana is the least of the lot. The majority of respondents — roughly two-thirds — believe that marijuana is either extremely (26%) or moderately (40%) dangerous. This pales in comparison to the broad consensus that products such as e-cigarettes, cigarettes and chewing tobacco are harmful; more than 90% of American people consider these to be dangerous, with the majority believing they are extremely problematic.
Public sentiment on the dangers of cannabis has shifted slightly since 2023, with the percentage of those who see it as very harmful rising from 23% to 26%, and those considering it somewhat harmful shifting from 35% to 40%.
In addition, 13% of American adults today report smoking cannabis, a small decrease from the 17% noted in 2023, whereas 12% of individuals use edibles. In addition, 7% of American adults prefer e-cigarettes or vaping, and 58% of individuals say they drink alcohol, making it the most commonly taken drug.
Major cannabis companies such as Green Thumb Industries Inc. (CSE: GTII) (OTCQX: GTBIF) are likely to analyze these poll results and see what hidden insights they can glean from the data.
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