A new federal report sheds light on how Americans consume marijuana, revealing significant gender differences in preferred methods of use. According to the analysis, smoking remains the most common way to use cannabis overall, but male users are significantly more likely to smoke than their female counterparts, who instead favor edibles, beverages, and topicals.
The findings come from a detailed review of the 2022 and 2023 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, conducted by the Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality, a division of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).
Among marijuana users aged 12 and older, 19.8% of males reported smoking as their primary mode of consumption, compared to 14.3% of females. Meanwhile, women were more than twice as likely as men to prefer topicals such as creams and patches (2.5% versus 1.2%) and were also more likely to use cannabis-infused edibles and beverages.
“Among people who used marijuana in the past year, males were more likely than females to smoke marijuana in every age group except adolescents aged 12 to 17,” the report notes. “Females were more likely than males to eat or drink marijuana.”
Younger adults aged 18 to 25 were the most likely to smoke cannabis and to use three or more consumption methods, regardless of gender. In contrast, older adults tended to stick with a single method.
The survey also found that 44.9% of users relied on one mode of consumption, while roughly 55% used multiple methods.
The report mirrors similar findings published earlier this year by the CDC, which observed rising popularity in non-smoking methods like edibles, vaping, and dabbing. Experts suggest these trends reflect evolving consumer preferences amid expanding legalization and increased product variety.
As marijuana use becomes more normalized, understanding how different demographics interact with cannabis could help inform public health messaging and regulatory decisions.
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