Vaping and cannabis use among young adults reaches record levels as marijuana-related hospitalizations surge
Nicotine vaping and cannabis use among U.S. young adults have reached historic levels, with 19% vaping nicotine and 12% using cannabis daily in 2025. Concurrently, emergency room diagnoses of cannabis hyperemesis syndrome—a severe vomiting condition—surged 16% between October 2025 and May 2026. This spike is largely attributed to a new diagnostic code, revealing a previously underrecognized health crisis that disproportionately impacts teenagers and young adults.
Cannabis use among youth
▪A record high of 12% of young adults aged 19 to 30 reported daily cannabis use in the 2025 Monitoring the Future survey.
▪The annual Monitoring the Future survey found that 29% of young adults aged 19 to 30 reported using cannabis in the past 30 days in 2025, slightly below the all-time high of 30% recorded the previous year.
Cannabis hyperemesis syndrome hospitalizations
▪The largest increases in cannabis hyperemesis syndrome diagnoses following the October 2025 code implementation occurred among individuals aged 15 to 24, teenage girls and women, Black Americans, and American Indian and Alaska Natives.
▪A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study of approximately 7,500 healthcare facilities recorded nearly 200,000 emergency department visits related to cannabis hyperemesis syndrome from January 2023 through the summer of 2025.
▪U.S. hospital emergency room diagnoses of cannabis hyperemesis syndrome rose 16% from October 2025 to May 2026, following the introduction of a specific diagnosis code for the condition in October 2025.
FDA nicotine product authorizations
▪The Food and Drug Administration authorized 20 Zyn nicotine pouch products in June 2026 to be marketed with a modified risk claim as lower-risk than cigarettes.
▪The Food and Drug Administration authorized fruit-flavored vapes containing age-gated technology designed to prevent use by individuals under 21 in the spring of 2026.
Substance use surveillance data
▪The 2025 Monitoring the Future survey recorded a slight increase in past-30-day heroin use among young adults from 0.2% in 2024 to 0.6% in 2025, while past-year psychedelic use decreased from 9% to 7%.
▪The 2025 Monitoring the Future survey of approximately 20,000 Americans aged 19 to 65 showed that past-year nicotine pouch use among young adults more than doubled from 5% in 2023 to 13% in 2025.
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