A new nationwide report on substance use and mental health shows some encouraging trends among adolescents and young adults, but rising marijuana use and addiction overall among Americans.
According to the 2025 National Survey on Drug Use and Health from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), marijuana remains the most commonly used illicit drug in the United States. In 2025, about 21.2% of people age 12 and older, or roughly 61.6 million Americans, reported using marijuana in the past year.
That marks an increase from 19.0% (53.2 million people) in 2021. The rise was driven largely by adults age 26 and older, whose use increased from 17.3% (38.2 million) to 20.6% (47.2 million) over that same period.
In contrast, marijuana use declined among younger groups. Among adolescents ages 12 to 17, use dropped from 10.9% (2.8 million) in 2021 to 8.7% (2.2 million) in 2025. Use also decreased among young adults ages 18 to 25, though that group still reported the highest overall rate of use at 33.7% (12.2 million).
The survey also found an increase in marijuana use disorder, sometimes referred to as cannabis use disorder, among the overall population and older adults. Among people age 12 and older, the rate rose from 6.0% (16.7 million) in 2021 to 6.7% (19.3 million) in 2025. For adults 26 and older, it increased from 4.7% (10.4 million) to 5.7% (13.1 million).
Rates of marijuana use disorder remained unchanged among adolescents and young adults. However, young adults ages 18 to 25 continued to have the highest rate at 14.1% (5.1 million), followed by adults 26 and older at 5.7% and adolescents at 4.4% (1.1 million).
Among those who reported using marijuana in the past year, smoking remained the most common method, with 74.8% of users — about 46.1 million people — reporting that method. Other forms of use included eating or drinking marijuana products (49.2%), vaping (39.2%), and using concentrates such as waxes or shatter (14.5%).
The National Survey on Drug Use and Health is the federal government’s primary source for data on substance use, mental health and treatment trends in the U.S. The 2025 report includes five years of data, offering a look at how those trends are changing over time.
