For the first time, Gallup says more Americans smoke weed than cigarettes

Gallup's latest Consumption Habits survey found 17% of U.S. adults say they currently smoke marijuana, an all-time high and more than double the 7% Gallup measured when it first asked the question in 2013. Another 15% say they eat cannabis edibles. Cigarette smoking, meanwhile, matched its own record low at 11%, with nicotine vaping at 9% and pouches at 4%.

The crossover matters because it's the first time Gallup's tracking has shown marijuana smoking outpacing cigarette smoking outright — a reversal that would have been unthinkable when the poll started. Usage skews younger and middle-aged: 25% of 30- to 49-year-olds and 23% of 18- to 29-year-olds say they smoke, with men reaching for flower more and women leaning toward edibles.

Public opinion hasn't caught up to the usage numbers. Gallup found Americans almost evenly split on whether cannabis has a positive (47%) or negative (46%) effect on the people who use it — a coin-flip that's held steady even as the behavior itself has become mainstream.

For operators, the number is less a marketing talking point than a market-sizing one: a habit this normalized among adults 30-49 is a durable, not a fad, customer base — but the flat opinion split is a reminder that destigmatizing the product is still unfinished work, and won't be solved by usage growth alone.