The number of American cannabis consumers is on the rise.

In August, the results of a survey on American cannabis consumption were published in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

A total of 16,280 people from all areas of the U.S. took part in the survey, in which they were asked if they had used cannabis over the last 30 days or not. In addition to this, they were asked about how they had used cannabis, e.g. vaping, smoking or edibles.

An intriguing outcome was revealed in the results, which suggested that as many as 37 million Americans used the plant in some form last year. Out of the total amount of respondents, 14.6 percent admitted to using cannabis within the last year. An additional 8.7 percent claimed to have used it in the last month.

If we refer to U.S. census population estimates from July 2017, the statistics tell us that there were as many as 36.8 million adult American cannabis consumers last year.

More American cannabis consumers in weed-friendly U.S. States

Based on the outcome of this study on American cannabis consumption, rates of use were higher in states that had legalized adult-use cannabis.

Among those surveyed, 20 percent of cannabis consumers resided in weed-friendly states, whereas 12 percent of cannabis consumers were based in U.S. states that hadn’t yet legalized the plant for recreational use.

American cannabis consumption rates rested at 14 percent in medical cannabis states.

American cannabis consumers prefer to smoke the herb

Each participant’s preferred method of consumption was also highlighted in the survey.

American cannabis consumers were more likely to smoke the plant (12.9 percent,) as opposed to ingesting edibles (6 percent) and vaping dried flower or oils (1.9 percent.)

Even fewer American cannabis consumers reported using cannabis concentrates (1.9 percent) and just a handful of those surveyed (0.8 percent) admitted to using topical skin-absorbent cannabis products.

Federal cannabis legalization in the U.S. is well overdue

With so many American cannabis consumers, why is the government so against legalizing the plant at the federal level?

Cannabis legalization in the U.S. could be put on the back burner for a number of reasons.

First of all, let’s consider the pharmaceutical industry. Legalizing the plant could actually cost the government money, so it’s not really surprising that Big Pharma is trying to abolish a non-pharmaceutical cannabis market in order to make bank.

Another reason why federal cannabis legalization in the U.S. is overdue may be down to the plant’s classification as a Schedule I drug. Since cannabis slots into Section 280E of the U.S. tax code, businesses who sell the plant and its derivatives are prohibited from taking normal corporate deductions on income tax.

Political opinion is also a contributing factor. Nevertheless, with all that being said, American cannabis consumers are not deterred from using weed, as this survey revealed.

As acceptance increases and medical research uncovers cannabis’ potential for widespread treatments, the chances of the U.S. federal government fully legalizing cannabis is bound to increase.