Berkeley, CA: The percentage of adults in California reporting current cannabis use has remained stable following legalization, according to findings published in the journal Substance Use & Misuse.
Researchers affiliated with the Prevention Research Center in Berkeley assessed trends in past 30-day cannabis use from 2018 to 2023 using data compiled by the California Health Interview Survey – a representative sample of tens of thousands of Californians.
Contrary to investigators’ expectations, they identified no significant overall increase in self-reported cannabis use by adults.
“In summary, the overall trend for cannabis use in the past 30-day in California remained unchanged from 2018 to 2023, eight years after legalization and six years after cannabis retail became available,” the study’s authors concluded. “Future research should focus on identifying trends among gender, age, and ethnic groups.”
The findings are consistent with national trends reporting no significant uptick in marijuana use by adolescents post-legalization, but they are inconsistent with several surveys finding increased cannabis use among young adults and seniors.
Full text of the study, “Trends in pot-legalization cannabis use among ethnic groups in California: 2018-2023,” appears in Substance Use & Misuse.