Vaping and cannabis hit record highs among young adults in 2025: Survey

Nicotine vaping and cannabis use among young adults reached all-time highs in 2025, according to results from the annual Monitoring the Future survey published by the University of Michigan, as reported by STAT News.

The share of young adults who reported using nicotine vapes in the past 30 days more than tripled since the question was first added to the survey in 2017, reaching 19% — the highest level on record, per STAT News. Cannabis use among adults aged 19 to 30 stood at 29% over the same 30-day window, just below the prior year's all-time high of 30%. Daily cannabis use, however, set a new record at 12%.

The Monitoring the Future survey is supported by the National Institutes of Health and collects data from approximately 20,000 Americans between the ages of 19 and 65. The broader report covers a range of substance use trends, presenting what researchers described as a mixed picture. Cigarette smoking rates remained relatively low, and alcohol use continued a longer-term decline among adults.

Nora Volkow, director of NIH's National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), addressed both the encouraging and concerning findings. "It is reassuring to continue to see relatively low smoking rates and a continuing decline in alcohol use among adults," Volkow said in a press release cited by STAT News. "At the same time, rising rates of cannabis, nicotine, and certain other drug use warrant attention. Continued monitoring is vital for understanding the changing drug landscape so that we can develop effective interventions to support public health."

The full survey results are available in a report published by Monitoring the Future. The data adds to a growing body of evidence that vaping has shifted from a declining teen habit to an entrenched behavior among young adults, while cannabis legalization across many U.S. states continues to correlate with increased use in the 19-to-30 age bracket.