Over the past couple of decades, there has been a somewhat steady decline in the popularity of cigarette smoking and an increase in the popularity of smoking marijuana. However, according to a recent Gallup poll, we've officially reached tipped the scale in the other direction.
For the first time ever, the number of marijuana smokers outnumbers the amount of cigarette smokers in the United States with some 16% of Americans saying that they currently smoke marijuana while only 11% of Americans claim to smoke cigarettes.
"Smoking cigarettes is clearly on the decline and is most likely to become even more of a rarity in the years ahead," says Gallup Senior Scientist Frank Newport. "This reflects both public awareness of its negative effects and continuing government efforts at all levels to curtail its use."
In fact, according to the polling, many smokers wish they could stop and had never started. But, as much as there's been an increase in public awareness of the negative effects of cigarette-smoking, there seems to be an increase in public awareness regarding the positive effects of marijuana, as the poll found that over half--53%--reported experiencing those effects.
Marijuana use, if self-reporting can be trusted, has increased dramatically over the past half-century. When the question was first asked in 1969, a mere 4% of the country had tried marijuana, paling in comparison to the 48% this past year. And, while 16% of the country being cannabis-users may seem like a low estimate considering the popularity of marijuana in today's culture, that number is up from 7% in just 2013.
But, it's still got a decent climb to make, if marijuana wants to top the popularity charts as alcohol still takes the cake with 67% of Americans identifying themselves as drinkers. That said, alcohol is moving drastically slower, increasing only 4% since 1939. This makes sense, though, when taken into account with the fact that more than 70% of the country agrees that alcohol has negative effects on users and, perhaps more importantly, society in general.
However, we've become used to living in a society that doesn't always adequately reflect the beliefs of its citizenry--so what does the future hold for cigarettes, marijuana, and alcohol?
Cigarettes, while still legal across the US, are becoming less and less publicly visible--and it's a drastic difference since they first entered the market! Cigarette advertisements used to litter the country until Congress passed the Public Health Cigarette Smoking Act of 1969, which made the Marlboro Man--along with all other cigarette advertising and marketing--a thing of the past The biggest change started to take effect in the 1990's. While California was the first state to ban cigarette smoking in restaurants in 1995, in 1997 when then-President Bill Clinton banned cigarette smoking in airplanes in all federal buildings, many states took notice and began enacting regulations.
As of 2018, the states that have enacted a total ban of cigarette smoking in all enclosed workplaces, including bars and restaurants are: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin.
Ten other states have enacted statewide smoking bans but have carved out an exception for certain establishments and workplaces: Arkansas, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Louisiana, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee.
Despite the drastic amount of injury and death that results from alcohol consumption, its popularity seems to be keeping it solidified in American culture--at least, for the foreseeable future. However, that may change when we see the day that marijuana is finally legalized on a federal level.
In June of 2021, Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.) introduced the M.O.R.E. Act, or the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment & Expungement Act, onto the House floor. Currently, that piece of legislation has passed the House and now waits in the Senate, awaiting review from the Committee on Finance, according to Congressional records.
On October 6, 2022, President Biden pardoned thousands of people convicted of marijuana possession under federal law and said his administration would review whether marijuana should still be in the same legal category as drugs like heroin and LSD. As of the writing of this article, no further action has been taken nor statements made.
Comments