What Americans Think About Medical Cannabis

Over the past few years, as more and more states moved towards legalization of cannabis, the use of marijuana for medical reasons has become a lot more popular in the United States. Known to help patients with chronic pain, anxiety, panic attacks or other physical and mental ailments, medical marijuana was first made legal in California in 1996 and is now widely accepted across the United States.

With public support for cannabis legalization reaching new highs, many Americans have tried cannabis products, be it for medical or for recreational reasons. While a recent Gallup poll showed that nearly half of U.S. adults have tried marijuana, data from the Statista Consumer Insights special on OTC & Pharmaceuticals shows that 45 percent of Americans have tried medical cannabis or CBD.

According to the survey, which was conducted in November 2023, 36 percent of U.S. adults consider cannabis/CBD a good alternative to traditional medical products, while 28 percent of respondents said they would even prefer it over chemical medication. There are surprisingly few reservations with respect to medical use of cannabis, as just 11 percent of respondents said they’d be worried about the risks and 9 percent didn't want medical cannabis to be legal at all.