New research from the Prevention Research Center of the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation examines trends in past 30-day cannabis use in adults in California from 2018 to 2023 among Hispanic, White non-Hispanic, Black non-Hispanic, American Indian/Alaskan Native non-Hispanic, Asian non-Hispanic, and other/two or more races.
Data come from the California Health Interview Surveys which performs annual interviews of a representative household sample in the state.
The findings indicate that: the overall trend for cannabis use in the past 30 days in California remained unchanged from 2018 to 2023, 8 years after legalization and 6 years after retail cannabis became available.
However, among racial/ethnic groups:
- White respondents showed a statistically significant upward trend in cannabis use over time.
- Among Hispanics the trend was downward.
- Those identifying as other/two or more races did not demonstrate a statistically significant temporal trend.
- None of the remaining racial/ethnic groups – Black, Asian, and AI/AN – showed significant trends in cannabis use over time.
Says lead author, Dr. Raul Caetano, “Legalization of recreational cannabis use in California does not seem connected with an increase in past 30-day cannabis use among adults. However, trends are different across different race/ethnic groups, possibly influenced by cross-group differences in factors such as level of access to cannabis, risk perception, socioeconomic status, and cultural and population-level norms about substance use.”
Source: Caetano, R., Paschall, M. J., Vaeth, P. A., & Kaplan, Z. (2025). Trends in Post Legalization Cannabis Use Among Ethnic Groups in California: 2018–2023. Substance Use & Misuse, 1-8.
