Gallup released a new poll stating that the percentage of American adults who say they smoke marijuana has nearly doubled in three years.
13% of participants reported that they currently use marijuana, compared to 7% in 2013. 43% said they have tried the drug, which is a small jump from 38% registered in 2013. These increases are another dot along the trend line of increased marijuana use across the US. Only 4.1% of adults said they smoked marijuana at the time of being interviewed in 2001.
The poll was conducted by telephone with about 1,000 randomly chosen adults across the United States.
Major indicators if an adult is likely a pot smoker were age and religiosity. One in five adults younger than 30 currently smoke marijuana, which is double the rate of older demographics. Also, 14% of participants who seldom or never attend a religious service said they smoke, while only 7% of monthly church-goers admitted to the task.
Gallup credited the uptick in usage to the passing of legalization laws in Colorado, Oregon, Washington, Alaska, and DC. Along with the reduced stigma behind usage of the cannabis.
