US Health Agency: 2021 Saw Highest Use of Marijuana, Hallucinogens Among Young Adults

Young adults reported using LSD, MDMA, PCP, peyote, and "shrooms," among other hallucinogens. The only substance whose use was reported to have drastically dropped in the studied period was MDMA.

In 2021, young adults aged between 18 and 30 in the US used marijuana and hallucinogens at an all-time high, according to the findings of a new study published by the National Institute of Health (NIH).

The rate of marijuana use among adults rose to 43% in 2021, according to the most recent findings from the NIH's Monitoring the Future (MTF) panel, which has been collecting data since 1975.

This is the highest recorded level of marijuana use since 1988, the year use trends were first tracked.

According to the MTF, such proportions of cannabinoid use mark a sharp increase from 34% five years ago (2016) and 29% 10 years ago (2011).

"Marijuana use in the past month was reported by 29% of young adults in 2021, compared to 21% in 2016 and 17% in 2011," the research's summary said. "Daily marijuana use also significantly increased during these time periods, reported by 11% of young adults in 2021, compared to 8% in 2016 and 6% in 2011."

About 8% of adults in that age group admitted to consuming hallucinogens in the previous 12 months. Even though it was a small percentage, this was the highest rate of use the MTF had ever seen.

"By comparison, in 2016, 5% of young adults reported past-year hallucinogen use, and in 2011, only 3% reported use," it added.

Despite a decline in use in the early stages of the pandemic, the study also found that the rate of nicotine vaping significantly increased last year, climbing to 16% and nearly double the rate that was originally noted in 2017. The use of marijuana vaping also increased after a decline in early 2020, reaching 12% in 2021.

While marijuana and hallucinogen use hit all-time highs, alcohol continued to be the most widely used substance among young adults, with binge drinking rates returning to pre-pandemic levels in 2021, when 32% of young adults reported bingeing on five or more consecutive drinks in the previous two weeks.

High-intensity drinking, defined as having 10 or more drinks in a row within the previous two weeks, peaked in 2021 at 13%.

In addition, the study found that young individuals' past-month cigarette smoking and past-year non-medical usage of opioid drugs (defined as "narcotics other than heroin") have significantly decreased when compared to 10 years previously. Over the past ten years, usage of both drugs has steadily decreased.

The 2021 MTF panel study also collected information on drug usage among individuals 35 to 50 years old, young adults in college or not, and numerous demographic groupings.

"As the drug landscape shifts over time, this data provides a window into the substances and patterns of use favored by young adults," said Nora Volkow, head of the National Institute on Drug Abuse. "We need to know more about how young adults are using drugs like marijuana and hallucinogens, and the health effects that result from consuming different potencies and forms of these substances."