Visualizing Drug-Use Trends In Young American Adults

Today, the three most common substances used among Americans aged 19 to 30 are alcohol, cannabis, and nicotine vapes.

In particular, cannabis use is approaching record levels, while nicotine vaping among young adults has surged, with one in four reporting use over a 12-month period. By contrast, binge drinking and nonmedical prescription use are at record lows. Cigarette smoking has also dropped by two-thirds since 2004.

This graphic, via Visual Capitalist’s Dorothy Neufeld, shows young adult substance use in America, based on data from the University of Michigan Institute for Social Research.

Young Adult Substance Use in America

Below, we show the share of Americans aged 19 to 30 who have used the following substances at least once in the past 30 days, based on a survey of 4,810 respondents:

*Other drugs are nonmedical drugs other than cannabis, including hallucinogens (including LSD), cocaine, amphetamines, sedatives (barbiturates), tranquilizers, and narcotics/opioids (including heroin). Data as of 2023.

While alcohol is the most prevalent substance overall, use has declined from 74% of young adults in 1988 to 64.9% in 2023.

Moreover, daily drinking habits sank to 3.6% of young adults, the lowest share ever recorded. In line with this trend, binge drinking, represented as more than five drinks in a row during a two-week period, fell to 27.2%. Binge drinking has broadly trended downward since the 2008 peak of 37.3%.

Meanwhile, cigarette smoking has declined dramatically—from 29.4% of young adults in 1988 to just 8.8% in 2023—although vaping nicotine is on the rise. In response to its increasing prevalence, 15 states have enacted laws on flavored vapes and online sales amid healthcare risks. Most recently, flavored vapes were banned in California in January 2025.

Despite the ongoing opiod epidemic, drug use (other than cannabis) has fallen slightly from 9.4% of young adults in 1988 to 6.6% in 2023. Overall, hallucinogenics are among the most commonly-used drugs, reaching a record high of 8.5% of young adults over a 12-month period.

Meanwhile, the share of young adults that have used cannabis at least once in the past 30 days has risen from 17.5% in 1988 to 28.7% in 2023. For those using cannabis on a daily basis, this figure stands at one in 10 young adults. As cannabis legalization has spread across nearly half of all U.S. states, use has also risen among adults aged 35 to 50 over the past five years.

To learn more about this topic from a global perspective, check out this graphic on alcohol consumption by region.