College Students Smoked More Pot, Drank Less In 2020

A new national survey found nearly half of college students said they consumed cannabis in 2020 — a new record.

Forty-four percent of college students surveyed reported using marijuana in 2020. That was the highest level in the survey's history. Eight percent said they used marijuana daily or nearly daily last year, up from 5% in 2015.

Some students at Metropolitan State University in Denver said smoking marijuana helped them cope with the struggles and loneliness of pandemic life.

At the same time, college students reported drinking far less alcohol. Fifty-six percent of students surveyed in 2020 reported drinking in the past 30 days, compared to 62% in 2019. Additionally, just 28% reported being drunk in the past 30 days, compared to 35% in 2019.

Binge drinking also fell dramatically. Only 24% of students said they binge drank in 2020, compared to 32% a year earlier. Students told Newsy they stopped drinking as much when the pandemic brought their social lives to a halt.