Green Over Grain: Why a Generation Chose Cannabis over Alcohol and What Do We Do Now?

 According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), past-year cannabis use among Americans 12 and older climbed from 11.0% in 2002 to 22.3% in 2024 — a 103% increase. Over roughly the same period, past-month alcohol use dropped from 51% to 46.6%, a 9% decline. These aren’t rounding errors. They represent one of the most significant substance-use shifts in modern American history, and it’s happening largely without a formal policy directing it. No public health campaign told people to put down the beer and pick up the joint. They did it on their own.