Marijuana, Hallucinogen Use, Binge Drinking Reached Historic Highs Among Adults 35-50

MTF found that nicotine vaping significantly rose in the past five years.

Photo: Tibanna79/Shutterstock

Past-year use of marijuana and hallucinogens by adults ages 35 to 50 continued a long-term upward trajectory to reach all-time highs in 2022, according to the Monitoring the Future (MTF) panel study, an annual survey of substance use behaviors and attitudes of adults 19 to 60 years old. 

Among younger adults ages 19 to 30, reports of past-year marijuana and hallucinogen use as well as marijuana and nicotine vaping significantly increased in the past five years, with marijuana use and vaping at their highest historic levels for this age group in 2022. 

MTF is funded by NIDA and conducted by scientists at the University of Michigan’s Institute for Social Research, Ann Arbor.

While binge drinking has generally declined for the past 10 years among younger adults, adults ages 35 to 50 in 2022 reported the highest prevalence of binge drinking ever recorded for this age group, which also represents a significant past-year, five-year and 10-year increase.

“Substance use is not limited to teens and young adults and these data help us understand how people use drugs across the lifespan,” said NIDA Director Dr. Nora Volkow. “Understanding these trends is a first step and it is crucial that research continues to illuminate how substance use and related health impacts may change over time. We want to ensure that people from the earliest to the latest stages in adulthood are equipped with up-to-date knowledge to help inform decisions related to substance use."