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Quitting Weed in Your 20s: What the Research Shows
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- The Dehaze Team
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- Writing on quitting cannabis • Dehaze
Clinical standard
Written to a clinical standard reviewed by Dr. Lu Chong · Medical oncology · Health examination and preventive care. This article was not individually reviewed — what that means.
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Quitting weed in your 20s puts you in good company. Research on young adults describes a pattern called maturing out: for many people, cannabis use and the problems that come with it ease as their twenties go on. But that is an average, not a promise. Some people keep using daily into their thirties, and a few increase their use. If you have decided to stop now, rather than waiting to see which group you land in, this guide covers what the studies say about cannabis in your twenties, why this decade makes quitting both harder and easier, and how to build a plan that holds.
What research says about weed use in your 20s
The best picture of the early twenties comes from large surveys of young adults. In a Washington State study of 15,251 young adults surveyed between 2015 and 2022, the likelihood of using cannabis rose from age 18 to 22 and then stayed fairly stable through age 26. The authors called for more attention to young adults in their mid-twenties, in a state where cannabis is legal for adults.
The same study looked at what goes with using more. Finding cannabis easy to get, believing that most people around you use it, seeing it as acceptable, and believing it carries little physical or psychological harm were all linked with use. Several of those links were strongest before age 21, but feeling that use was acceptable and seeing little psychological harm stayed linked with use across young adulthood.
In plain terms: your twenties are when use tends to be at its most normal and most available. That is the context you are quitting in.
The good news: maturing out is real
Researchers have tracked what happens to cannabis use as people move through young adulthood. In a four-year study of 409 young adults aged 18 to 25, all of whom had used alcohol and cannabis at the same time, symptoms of cannabis use disorder fell by about 5% a year on average, and the decline sped up over time. The authors describe this as support for a maturing-out process.
That fits what many people notice. Jobs, relationships, rent and less free time crowd out the habit. Some people quit because a new routine leaves no room for it, not because they hit a crisis.
The less good news: not everyone grows out of it
Averages hide the people who do not follow them. The same four-year study found that participants who used alcohol and cannabis together most often showed almost no decline in cannabis use disorder symptoms, compared with about 7% a year for those who did it less often.
A longer study makes the point more sharply. Researchers who followed 458 people from late adolescence into their thirties found three patterns. One group drank and cut down. A second group used both alcohol and cannabis heavily and then cut down. A third group, which the authors called switchers, increased their cannabis use into adulthood. Sensation seeking in late adolescence was linked with being in the heavier-use groups, and lower conscientiousness with being a switcher.
None of that tells you which group you are in. It does mean that "I will just stop when life gets serious" is a bet, not a plan.
Why the stakes are different now
Potency is higher than it used to be
The weed available in your twenties is not the weed of past decades. NIDA reports that the THC potency of illegal cannabis seized by law enforcement rose from 3.96% in 1995 to 16.14% in 2022, and that dispensary flower and concentrates can exceed 40% THC. Higher THC concentrations have been associated with a greater likelihood of use progressing to cannabis use disorder.
If your twenties have included dabs or vapes, our guides to quitting dabs and quitting vaping weed cover the extra steps those products need.
Daily use is the pattern to watch
NIDA notes that chronic, heavy, every-day or almost every-day use is associated with developing cannabis use disorder, and that studies estimate that between 22% and 30% of cannabis users have the disorder. The disorder is graded as mild with two or three symptoms, moderate with four or five, and severe with six or more.
If you want to check where you stand, the eleven-question check in our guide to whether you are addicted to weed walks through the criteria one by one.
How to quit weed in your 20s
The core method is the same at any age. What changes in your twenties is the setting: shared flats, friends who smoke, irregular schedules and easy access. Build the plan around those.
1. Decide what you are quitting for
Write down two or three concrete reasons, in your own words. "Get my mornings back" or "stop spending money I do not have" will hold up better on a bad night than "be healthier". Our template for making a quit weed plan gives you a structure for this and for the steps below.
2. Choose cold turkey or a taper, and set a date
Some people stop in one go; others cut down first. Both can work. What matters is a specific date and a specific rule. If you are thinking of a short break rather than quitting, read our piece on whether a tolerance break helps you quit first, because the two goals need different plans.
Start counting clean days with Dehaze
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Download Dehaze on iOS3. Change the setting, not just the substance
The Washington study found that easy access and the sense that everyone uses were linked with use. You cannot change your whole social world, but you can change parts of it:
| Twenties trigger | A specific change |
|---|---|
| Flatmates who smoke at home | Agree on where and when, and keep your room smoke-free |
| Friends who smoke when you meet | Suggest plans with a built-in activity, like food or sport |
| Empty evenings after work | Plan the first hour after work before the day starts |
| Weed as the way to sleep | A fixed bedtime and a wind-down without screens |
Our guide to quitting weed while working full time covers the workday side of this in more detail.
4. Plan for withdrawal
NIDA lists cannabis withdrawal symptoms as including anger, irritability, aggression, feeling nervous or anxious, restlessness, decreased appetite or weight, depression, insomnia, strange or unsettling dreams, headaches, sweating, abdominal pain and tremor. People can have withdrawal symptoms after stopping heavy or long-term use even without a cannabis use disorder. Expect a rough first few weeks, and treat those symptoms as a sign of adjustment, not proof that you cannot cope without weed.
5. Tell one person
You do not need an announcement. Telling one friend, partner or sibling gives you someone to message when a craving hits and someone who will not offer you a joint at the next party.
When to get help
If you have tried to stop and keep ending up back where you started, that is common, and it is a reason to get support rather than a reason to give up. NIDA notes that behavioral treatments such as cognitive behavioral therapy, motivational enhancement therapy and contingency management can be effective for cannabis use disorder, and that there are currently no FDA-approved medications for it. Our guide to CBT for quitting weed explains what that therapy involves, and our step-by-step guide to quitting smoking weed covers the practical method.
Get help promptly if your use is tied to depression, thoughts of self-harm, panic, psychosis, pregnancy, or heavy drinking or other drug use alongside cannabis. In the US, SAMHSA's National Helpline is free, confidential and open 24 hours a day at 1-800-662-4357.
The short version
- Cannabis use tends to rise in the early twenties and hold steady through the mid-twenties, in a setting where it is easy to get and widely accepted.
- Many people mature out: in one study, cannabis use disorder symptoms fell by about 5% a year on average across young adulthood.
- Not everyone does. Some people increase their use into their thirties, and heavy combined use of alcohol and cannabis was linked with almost no decline.
- Daily use and high-potency products are the patterns most worth taking seriously.
- To quit, set a date, change the setting around your use, plan for withdrawal, and get help if you cannot stop on your own.
Sources
- Washington Young Adult Health Survey — Age-varying patterns of cannabis use and related risk factors among young adults
- Simultaneous use of alcohol and cannabis and age-related declines in alcohol and cannabis use disorder symptoms across young adulthood
- Maturing out of alcohol and cannabis co-use: a test of patterns and personality predictors
- NIDA — Cannabis (marijuana)
- SAMHSA — National Helpline
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it normal to quit weed in your 20s?
Yes. Researchers describe a common pattern called maturing out, where substance use problems ease across young adulthood. In one four-year study of young adults aged 18 to 25, cannabis use disorder symptoms fell by about 5% a year on average. That is an average, though, and some people keep using heavily or increase their use.
Will I just grow out of smoking weed?
Many people cut down on their own, but it is not guaranteed. A study that followed young people into their thirties found a group who increased their cannabis use into adulthood, and frequent use of alcohol and cannabis together was linked to slower declines. If your use is daily and hard to control, waiting it out is a gamble.
How do I know if my weed use in my 20s is a problem?
Cannabis use disorder is diagnosed from symptoms such as using more than you meant to, failed attempts to cut down, cravings, and withdrawal when you stop. NIDA grades it as mild with two or three symptoms, moderate with four or five, and severe with six or more. Daily or near-daily use is the pattern most associated with it.
What is the best way to quit weed in your 20s?
Pick a quit date, change the settings where you usually use, and plan for withdrawal symptoms such as irritability, poor sleep and low appetite in the first weeks. If you cannot stop on your own, behavioral treatments such as cognitive behavioral therapy, motivational enhancement therapy and contingency management have research support. There are no FDA-approved medications for it.
How do I quit weed when all my friends smoke?
Research on young adults finds that easy access, the sense that everyone uses, and feeling that use is acceptable are all linked with using more. That makes your social setting part of the plan. Tell one or two friends what you are doing, suggest plans that are not built around smoking, and expect some evenings to feel awkward at first.
A note on this article
This is information and peer support, not medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Dehaze is a self-directed tracking app, not a treatment programme, and nothing here replaces guidance from a clinician who knows your history. If withdrawal is severe, if you are using cannabis alongside other substances, or if you are managing a mental health condition at the same time, please talk to a professional.
In the US, SAMHSA’s National Helpline is free, confidential, and open 24/7 at 1-800-662-4357. If you are in immediate danger, call your local emergency number. Spot something inaccurate here? Tell us.