An estimated 1.2 million adults in Great Britain consume cannabis every day. That is roughly 2.2% of the country's 53.8 million adults. The figure comes from a new analysis by UK-based researchers published in the journal Addiction. It matters because it is the first estimate to cover all of Great Britain, not just England and Wales. It also shows who the daily consumers actually are, which makes it useful data for policymakers, health services and the wider cannabis community.
What the Great Britain Daily Cannabis Study Found
Earlier figures covered only England and Wales. Those figures put daily cannabis users at around 470,000 adults in 2025. The new study widened the lens to Great Britain as a whole, which has about 67.5 million people, including roughly 53.8 million adults.
The researchers drew on repeat cross-sectional national online surveys run with Action on Smoking and Health. A cross-sectional survey collects data from a population at a single point in time. Repeating it over several waves builds a larger, more reliable picture.
The headline numbers:
- 7.2% of respondents (n = 1,882) reported past-year use, meaning they consumed cannabis at least once in the previous 12 months.
- 24.2% of those past-year consumers (n = 432) reported daily use, meaning they consumed cannabis every day.
- Scaled to the population, that equals an estimated 1.2 million daily consumers across Great Britain.
In short, roughly one in four people who used cannabis in the past year use it every day.
Who Is Most Likely to Consume Cannabis Daily in Great Britain
The study also looked at how daily cannabis use relates to socio-demographic characteristics, mental health and nicotine use. Socio-demographic characteristics are traits such as age, income and social grade. Three patterns stood out.
- Age: Daily use was more common among older adults. That goes against the stereotype that daily consumers are mostly young people.
- Socio-economic position: Daily use was more common among less advantaged groups, meaning people with lower income or social grade.
- Tobacco: Adults who smoke tobacco were more likely to consume cannabis daily. That fits the common British habit of mixing cannabis with tobacco in joints.
These links describe associations, not causes. Still, they show health services where to focus support. They also show that the British daily consumer looks quite different from the image most headlines paint.
How Great Britain Compares Internationally
Great Britain's daily rate of about 2.2% sits well below North America's. The European Union Drugs Agency (EUDA) is the EU body that monitors drug use trends. Its 2026 European Drug Report estimates that 8.7% of European adults aged 15 to 64 consumed cannabis in the past year. That works out to around 25 million people.
| Country | Past-month use | Past-year use | Lifetime use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spain | 10.5% | 12.6% | 43.7% |
| France | 6.3% | 10.8% | 50.4% |
| Italy | – | 10.8% | 34.8% |
| Germany | – | 9.8% | – |
| Czechia | 6.1% | – | – |
| Netherlands | 5.5% | – | – |
| Denmark | – | – | 37.6% |
Lifetime use means having consumed cannabis at least once in your life. A dash means the EUDA report did not place that country among the top four for the measure.
Daily use shows a starker gap:
- United States: about 21 million adults, or 7.7%
- Canada: 6%
- Great Britain: about 2.2%
Cannabis is popular in Britain, but daily use there remains far less common than in legal North American markets.
Frequently asked questions
How many people in Great Britain use cannabis every day?
Researchers publishing in the journal Addiction estimate that about 1.2 million adults in Great Britain consume cannabis daily. That works out to roughly 2.2% of the country's 53.8 million adults. It is the first estimate covering Great Britain as a whole rather than England and Wales alone.
What share of British cannabis users consume it daily?
Among British adults who reported using cannabis in the past year, 24.2% said they use it every day. In other words, roughly one in four past-year consumers is a daily user. Overall, 7.2% of surveyed adults reported consuming cannabis at least once in the previous twelve months.
Which European country has the highest cannabis use?
According to the EUDA's 2026 European Drug Report, Spain leads for both past-month use (10.5%) and past-year use (12.6%) among adults. France leads for lifetime use. Just over half of French adults, 50.4%, report having tried cannabis at least once in their lives.
Is daily cannabis use higher in the US than in the UK?
Yes, by a wide margin. About 7.7% of US adults, around 21 million people, report consuming cannabis daily. In Canada the figure is around 6%. Great Britain's daily rate is roughly 2.2%, which is less than a third of the American level.
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