New polls show that a majority believe alcohol to be more harmful for regular use than marijuana. However, despite health concerns, many adults prefer to drink alcohol over cannabis.
YouGov surveyed a number of people about two substances. The first is federally legal, and the second remains banned.
When asked what substance was “more hazardous to health”, 58 per cent of the respondents chose alcohol, while 19% said cannabis. A further 10 percent stated that both substances are equally harmful, while 13 percent weren’t certain.
Broken down by party, 64 percent of Democrats, 59 percent of independents and 52 percent of Republicans described alcohol as more harmful than marijuana.
YouGov
In spite of the large difference between perceptions about marijuana’s harmfulness and alcohol, the survey found that 13 percent preferred cannabis while 27 percent “personally enjoyed” their consumption. 5 percent of respondents said that they enjoyed both substances equally and 48% said they didn’t enjoy any substance.
YouGov
The survey also asked Americans which substance they use most often. Of the 27 percent who responded, alcohol was chosen over marijuana (11%). A further 4 percent of respondents said that they used both substances equally and 52 percent reported using neither.
YouGov
YouGov interviewed 19,918 American adult adults between March 10 and 12.
A separate survey conducted in January revealed that over half of cannabis users said they drink no alcohol or less after using marijuana.
A different survey that was supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and released in December found that young adults are nearly three times more likely to use marijuana than alcohol on a daily or near-daily basis.
That poll provided more granular, age-specific findings than a similar report published last year, finding that more Americans overall smoke marijuana on a daily basis than drink alcohol every day—and that alcohol drinkers are more likely to say they would benefit from limiting their use than cannabis consumers are.
In a separate study, published last year in the journal Addiction, it was found that more U.S. adult users of marijuana use daily than those who consume alcohol on a regular basis.
A Bloomberg Intelligence (BI) survey separately indicating that substitution of cannabis for alcohol is “soaring” as the state-level legalization movement expands and relative perceptions of harm shift. This poll also revealed that a large portion of Americans substitute marijuana and prescription painkillers for tobacco.
According to a BI study from last September, the legalization of marijuana will pose a’significant threat’ to the alcohol sector. This was based on survey results that showed that people use cannabis in place of alcoholic beverages like beer or wine.
Yet another study on the impact of marijuana consumption on people’s use of other drugs that was released in December suggested that, for many, cannabis may act as a less-dangerous substitute, allowing people to reduce their intake of substances such as alcohol, methamphetamine and opioids like morphine.
According to a study from Canada, marijuana is legal on a federal level. The legalization of the drug was found “to be associated with a decrease in beer sales”, suggesting that there may have been a substitutional effect.
Other recent surveys have also examined American opinions on alcohol and marijuana. For example, a Gallup survey found that respondents view cannabis as less harmful than alcohol, tobacco and nicotine vapes—and more adults now smoke cannabis than smoke cigarettes.
A separate survey released by the American Psychiatric Association (APA) and Morning Consult last June also found that Americans consider marijuana to be significantly less dangerous than cigarettes, alcohol and opioids—and they say cannabis is less addictive than each of those substances, as well as technology.
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