Trends in the Prevalence of Alcohol vs. Cannabis Use: 1976 - 2023
Data are taken from Monitoring the Future, an ongoing annual survey on substance use.
Notable trends:
Over the period, daily alcohol use dropped from 6% to 1% , while daily cannabis use dropped just slightly, from 8% to 7%. In other words, since at leas the mid-1970s, the prevalence of cannabis use has been greater than that for alcohol.
Downward trends in the 12-month and 30-month prevalence of cannabis reversed dramatically between 1992 and 1993, with the end of the Reagan-Bush policies.
Since the mid-1970s, cannabis use has remained surprisingly stable for 12-month, 30-day, and daily users, while alcohol use has steadily declined.
The difference between the prevalence of 12-month vs. 30-day alcohol use (casual vs. regular drinkers) is roughly twice the difference between those for cannabis use.
Just as a note, cannabis use by adolescents decreased during Covid, presumably due to lack of access. Whether or not the prevalence of use reverts back to pre-Covid levels remains to be seen.