The marijuana drug is the dried material—flowers, leaves, stems—of the cannabis plant. It can be used for medical purposes but is primarily used recreationally, to get high. Marijuana is most often smoked, but it can also be mixed into foods, which are called edibles, or vaporized. The compounds in the cannabis plant that are psychoactive are called cannabinoids and the most prominent of these is called THC.
About half of American adults have tried marijuana at least once. Almost 50 million people, or 18% of Americans, used cannabis at least once in 2019
Marijuana is the most commonly used substance after alcohol across all age groups.
People who begin using marijuana before the age of 18 are at a greater risk of developing a use disorder.
About nine percent of people who use marijuana will become dependent on it. The number is closer to 17 percent in those who first started using the drug in their teens.