Almost half of adults say they have tried marijuana, a new high: Gallup

A new poll has found more adults in the U.S. admit to having tried marijuana than ever before.

Gallup published new data Tuesday revealing that nearly half of adults recently surveyed admitted to having tried marijuana. The pollster said that is the most in more than 50 years.

Marijuana is outlawed at the federal level, although most states have passed a patchwork of legislation in recent years permitting its use for medicinal or recreational purposes or both.

Twelve percent of 490 adults polled last month said they smoke marijuana, Gallup reported, the same as in 2017 and 2019. 

Meanwhile, 49% of 517 adults surveyed said they have tried marijuana — the largest share Gallup has ever recorded.

The results have a margin of error of plus or minus 5 percentage points.

Gallup has been asking people about marijuana use since 1969. Four percent of people surveyed that year said they had tried it. The latest poll results surpass the record, 45%, measured in 2017 and 2019.