New year, new life and, at least in one aspect, Americans have managed to fulfill the promises typical of that time: to reduce the use of cigarettes.
At the top of the list of resolutions for 2023, 20% of people in the United States promise to try to improve their physical health in 2023 and 10% mention stopping bad habits, according to a survey by the YouGov institute published in the last week of last year.
Halfway there is already taken, depending on the use of cigarettes, since 2022 was the year in which Americans smoked the least, according to another survey, by the Gallup institute: 11% reported having smoked at least once in the week prior to the survey. It is less than the 16% recorded in 2021 and the lowest rate in the historical series, which begins in the 1940s. In addition, 60% of smokers interviewed said they would like to leave the addiction.
But if tobacco use has been falling in all age groups and social groups, on the other hand, marijuana use is growing and in 2022 surpassed the number of common cigarette smokers. Another Gallup survey, in August, found that 16% of Americans reported smoking marijuana – unlike the survey on cigarettes, however, the question asks more generally whether the respondent uses the substance and does not specify whether he did so in the previous week.
There is no robust data to suggest, however, that Americans are replacing tobacco with marijuana, according to Paul Armentano, deputy director of Norml (National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws).
He argues that it is likely that part of the increase in cannabis use measured by surveys is not because the substance is in fact more popular, but is linked to the fact that use is now legal in most US states.
“In an environment where it’s more culturally acceptable, and given that in many jurisdictions its use is legal, there’s certainly a greater likelihood that people are more comfortable than before with publicly admitting to using marijuana,” he says.
Since California legalized medicinal use in 1996, the gates of state regulations have been opened. At least 37 states and the capital currently have permits for similar purposes. In 2012, a new green wave came, when Washington and Colorado legalized recreational use, and today 21 states, in addition to the capital, also allow it.
Legalization has the approval of the vast majority of Americans, according to a survey by the Pew Institute in November, which found that 30% support the medicinal use of the herb and 59% defend both medicinal and recreational use – even though smoking the substance is harmful, just the same way than the ordinary cigarette.
It’s almost easier to buy marijuana than alcohol in a number of regions across the US. In Washington, a pamphlet with a menu of products can arrive in the post office box announcing zero delivery rates, in the midst of a rain of “junk mail” with sales of the most trivial stores.
In New York, marijuana food trucks serve those who walk through busy areas, albeit irregularly and taking advantage of loopholes in the law — a vacuum that was somewhat resolved at 4:20 pm on December 29, when the first official regulated store was inaugurated by the State of sale of the substance.
Helping to popularize the herb are the high numbers of the lucrative marijuana industry, which moved US$ 10.8 million in 2021 and should grow at an average of 15% per year until 2030, according to an analysis by the American consultancy Grand View Research. In the same year before last, by way of comparison, the tobacco industry moved US$ 49.7 billion.
In a store in central Washington, with a sidewalk sign that reads “Come in and get a free sample,” the shelves are filled with all kinds of products and variations of CBD and THC, the main psychoactive elements in the herb that trigger sensations such as relaxation or euphoria.
It is possible to buy jujube-type candies, teas, dog biscuits and even a kind of whey protein for those who are adept at bodybuilding and cannabis, which mixes pea protein with CBD. “Here there is this focus on the therapeutic part, but people really like the marijuana flowers and the already rolled joints”, says Anne Johnson, a habitué of the place, while drinking a cup of coffee with cannabidiol.
She explains that the legislation that regulates marijuana in the US capital allows anyone aged 21 years or older to carry up to 56 grams of weed (or two ounces, in the standard US measurement unit), as long as they only smoke at home, and prohibits use in public spaces.
“But it doesn’t quite work that way. Take a walk around the block and you’ll smell pot all the time, much more than regular cigarettes. There’s always police in the area and I’ve never been questioned about anything. Just be careful in federal areas “, he warns, citing parks in the country’s capital managed by the federal government.
That’s because possession and use of marijuana is still illegal under US federal law, even though the country’s highly decentralized legal system allows states to find their loopholes.
President Joe Biden has already stated that he intends to move forward with national legislation to decriminalize the use of the herb and, in October, he pardoned convicts in Federal Court for possession of the substance. Under national law, possession is punishable by up to one year in prison and a fine of US$1,000 (R$5,210) for the first conviction.
- 11% of Americans reported having smoked at least once in the week before the survey, the lowest recorded by Gallup
- 16% admit to smoking marijuana, in another survey this year by the same institute
- 89% of Americans are in favor of legalizing marijuana, whether for medicinal or recreational purposes
- 37 states and the capital, Washington, allow the medical use of marijuana
- 21 states and the capital allow recreational use of the substance
Source: Gallup
With a wealth of experience honed over 4+ years in journalism, I bring a seasoned voice to the world of news. Currently, I work as a freelance writer and editor, always seeking new opportunities to tell compelling stories in the field of world news.
