Aug. 31, 2022 -- For the first time ever, more Americans say they smoke marijuana than cigarettes, according to a new Gallup poll.

The poll taken July 5-26 revealed that 16% of Americans say they smoke marijuana, compared with just 11% saying they smoke cigarettes.

This follows decades in which marijuana use steadily increased and cigarette use steadily declined. Opinions about using both have changed, as well, with recreational use of marijuana now legal in many states and government efforts to curtail tobacco use ongoing.

And almost half of the respondents – 48% – say they have tried pot at least once. That’s up from just 4% in 1969.

Polling in 2019 found 83% of Americans believe cigarettes to be “very harmful” to smokers, with 14% calling them “somewhat harmful.”

"Smoking cigarettes is clearly on the decline and is most likely to become even more of a rarity in the years ahead," Gallup Senior Scientist Frank Newport, said. "This reflects both public awareness of its negative effects and continuing government efforts at all levels to curtail its use."

Most smokers wish they could stop and had never started, the polling found.

More than half those polled this summer, 53%, said pot has positive effects on users.

Drinking alcohol still tops them both for popularity of use, with 67% of Americans identifying themselves as drinkers (compared to 63% in 1939). A third of those polled said they don’t drink at all.

Still worth noting: More than 70% say alcohol has negative effects on users and society in general.

Gallup: “Americans and the Future of Cigarettes, Marijuana, Alcohol”

NPR: “Marijuana use is outpacing cigarette use for the first time on record”

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