Bethesda, MD: Smoking is the preferred method of ingestion for most cannabis consumers, according to nationally representative data published in the journal Addiction.
Federal researchers affiliated with the National Institutes of Health examined data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Among those respondents who reported consuming cannabis for non-medical purposes, 79 percent acknowledged “predominantly smoking cannabis.” Among medical consumers, 74 percent said that smoking was their primary method of ingestion.
A separate analysis of NSDUH data published in the Journal of Cannabis Research reported that 77 percent of current cannabis consumers (as defined as having used marijuana during the past month) prefer smoking the substance. Respondents were more than twice as likely to inhale cannabis than consume edibles (37 percent) or engage in vaping (35 percent).
The findings are consistent with data previously provided in March by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Full text of the study, “Prevalence of cannabis consumption methods among people with medically recommended and nonmedical cannabis use in the United States,” appears in Addiction. Full text of the study, “Disparities in use modalities among adults who currently use cannabis, 2022-2023,” appears in the Journal of Cannabis Research.