Marijuana

Survey: Marijuana use in US adults doubles in decade

By LINDSEY TANNER, AP Medical Writer

Updated October 21, 2015 4:55 PM

In this Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2015, file photo, a flower nearly ready for harvest sits atop a mature marijuana plant at the Pioneer Production and Processing marijuana growing facility in Arlington, Wash. Elaine Thompson AP

CHICAGO

Marijuana use among U.S. adults doubled over a decade. That’s according to government surveys showing that almost 10 percent of adults use the drug, or more than 22 million people.

Most of that is recreational use.

The researchers say the trend reflects a cultural shift and increasingly permissive views about the drug. Recreational use is now legal in four states.

Almost 1 in 3 users had signs of marijuana dependence or abuse. That’s a slight decline from a decade ago.

The results come from a comparison of health surveys from 2001-02 and 2002-13 sponsored by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.

Results were published Wednesday in the journal JAMA Psychiatry.

This story was originally published October 21, 2015 at 9:07 AM with the headline "Survey: Marijuana use in US adults doubles in decade."

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