One Out Of Every 8 US Adults Smoke Marijuana, New Study Finds

A new study has found that one out of every eight U.S. adults currently smoke marijuana. The number of people who smoke weed has almost doubled in less than three years' time.

According to a recent Gallup poll, around thirteen per cent of adults in the U.S., which is equivalent to 33 million people, have admitted that they smoke marijuana, up from seven per cent in 2013 and 11 per cent in 2015. The percentage of people who admitted to have tried marijuana also increased to 43 percent, up from 38 percent in 2013. The Gallup poll results were based on telephone interviews which were conducted from July 13 to July 17 among 1,023 American adults. The study has a 5 percent margin of error, reported Live Science.

It is to be noted that while the federal law still prohibits marijuana use, several states including Alaska, Colorado, Oregon, Washington and Washington, D.C. have legalized recreational marijuana use. In fact, five more U.S. states will decide whether or not to legalize marijuana for medicinal use in November.

According to Gallup, marijuana legalization could be a reason for the increase in the percentage of Americans who smoke marijuana. The study added that residents of all four states that have legalized recreational marijuana use are more likely to smoke marijuana than those in other parts of the country, reported Tech Times.

The Gallup poll results showed that one in five U.S. adults under age 30 currently use marijuana. It was found that nearly half of the adults aged 30 to 64 had tried the drug, whereas only 38 percent of people aged 18 to 29 reported having tried marijuana. People who attend church weekly were much less likely to smoke marijuana than those who rarely or never attend church. Only 2 percent of weekly churchgoers reportedly smoke marijuana as compared to 14 percent of those who do not go to church.

Do you think U.S. states' decision to legalize marijuana use is correct? Let us know in the comments below.