Decomposing Daily and Near Daily (DND) Cannabis Use Trends (2018 - 2024)

• In Event: Drug Markets in an Evolving Legal and Social Context

Abstract

The emergence of state-level recreational cannabis markets has coincided with increases in the THC potency of cannabis products. Negative health consequences associated with the high frequency consumption of high THC potency products are largely concentrated within a single category of cannabis users: Daily and Near Daily (DND) users. Prior literature finds that the prevalence of DND users notably increased in the first two decades of the 21st century; however, there remains a gap in our understanding of how the recent introduction of numerous recreational cannabis markets may shape the composition of this group. To inform the rapidly evolving landscape of recreational cannabis markets and its participants, this paper will use three surveys, the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), Regulatory Determinants of Cannabis Outcomes Survey (RDCOS), and International Cannabis Policy Survey (ICPS), to descriptively examine how DND use patterns in the United States have changed from 2018 to 2024. Trends on DND prevalence, product types consumed, product sourcing, and quantity of THC consumed per use will be presented. Preliminary findings suggest that the number of past-month cannabis users remained stagnant, but became disproportionately composed of DND users who, on average, consumed more potent products (e.g., vapes and concentrates).

Author

• Codey Carr, University of Maryland, College Park