The survey, released by the American Psychiatric Association (APA) and the Morning Consult last week, investigated the dangers and addiction of six different substances, plus technology.
As for marijuana, 38% said it was “very or somewhat dangerous.”
People were much more likely to view cigarettes as unsafe (84%), alcohol (64%), prescription opioids (66%), non-prescription opioids (75%) and vaporizers (76%). The only thing people said was safer than marijuana was the technology, which only 23% described as very or unsafe.
In a separate question, 64% said cannabis can be addictive. This is fewer than each of the other categories, including cigarettes (87%), alcohol (84%), prescribed opioids (83%), non-prescription opioids (74%), vaporizers (81 %) and technology (75%).
“It is clear that we have received the message that cigarettes are dangerous and addictive,” APA President Petros Levounis said in a news release. “We can help prevent more Americans from other potentially addictive behaviors, such as drinking alcohol and using technology.”
“For example, vaping is just as, if not more addictive than cigarette smoking,” he added. “We can also make sure people know about our current safe and effective treatments for both substance use disorders and behavioral addictions. Addiction treatment works.
When asked about the causes of addiction, 47% said it was a result of “personal weakness,” but 76% said addiction is a medical condition and 93% said substance use disorders can be treated. Another 76 percent said the condition was preventable.
Additionally, 71% of Americans say they know how to help someone in their life who is struggling with addiction. But while 58% said they knew about the opioid overdose drug naloxone, only 35% said they knew how to access the drug in the event of an overdose.
“In 2022, opioids killed more than 100,000 people,” said Saul Levin, CEO and medical director of the APA. “While it is encouraging that most Americans see substance use disorder as a treatable medical condition, we can do more to ensure that many of us in our communities are aware of and can access the life-saving naloxone.”
The APA said it will launch a public awareness campaign on addiction, initially focusing on vaping and then switching to opioids in the summer, alcohol in the winter and tech next year. He did not mention plans to include cannabis in this education campaign.
Il survey involved interviews with 2,201 adults from April 20 to 22, with a margin of error of +/- 2 percentage points.
And New York-specific survey published in March found that 77% of respondents consider alcohol use to be a somewhat or very serious public health problem, while 46% said the same about cannabis use.
The results are largely consistent with shifting public perceptions about alcohol and marijuana nationwide, with fewer people considering cannabis a seriously dangerous substance as more states move to legalize the plant for medical and recreational purposes. Public education has also contributed to greater awareness of the harms of alcohol.
Additionally, previous surveys have found that many people use marijuana as an alternative to alcohol, as well as a certain amount of prescription drugs.
According to another survey, about one in five people who abstained from alcohol during this year’s “dry January” said they used cannabis as an alternative to get through the month.
A separate survey released last year found that more Americans now openly admit to smoking marijuana or eating cannabis edibles than say they smoked cigarettes in the past week.
(Marijuana Moment of 06/14/2023)
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