Today’s Big Story

Americans Love Their Weed

Daily marijuana use now outpaces daily drinking

Does this surprise you? It surprises me. There are so many ways to drink: Beer, wine, cocktails … and yet, more Americans are now reporting daily or near-daily use of marijuana than those who drink alcohol at similar levels, marking the first time in about three decades that the everyday use of marijuana has surpassed that of alcohol, according to a new analysis released Wednesday.

It’s a shift some four decades in the making as recreational pot use became more mainstream and legal in nearly half of U.S. states. An estimated 17.7 million people reported using marijuana daily or near-daily compared to 14.7 million daily or near-daily drinkers, according to the analysis of national survey data. The Associated Press reports that in 1992, when daily pot use hit a low point, less than 1 million people said they used marijuana nearly every day.

Analysts noted “far more” people drink alcohol than use marijuana, though high-frequency drinking is less common, with the median drinker in 2022 reporting drinking on four to five days in the past month compared to the 15-16 average days reported among cannabis users. What’s more, this isn’t the weed of our parents’ generation. Legalization and commercialization have produced a spectacular rise in the potency of cannabis products. Until the end of the 20th century, the average potency of seized cannabis never exceeded five percent THC, its active intoxicant. Now, the labeled potency of “flower” sold in state-licensed stores averages 20-25 percent THC.

And while marijuana remains illegal at the federal level, the Biden administration last week took a major step toward rescheduling the drug to a less restrictive Schedule III designation. This would remove marijuana from being classified in the same category as heroin, LSD and others. Though, it’s not without its concerns. David Gorelick, a psychiatry professor at the University of Maryland school of medicine, told the AP other research suggests high-frequency cannabis users are more likely to become addicted and have increased risk of mental health disorders, especially in young people.

Are We in a Recession?

The answer is “no”, but most Americans think we are

Perception is everything, as they say. More than half of Americans currently think that the United States is in an economic recession, although gross domestic product has been increasing for the past several years. According to a new Guardian/Harris poll, 56% of respondents said they believe the U.S. is in a recession and 58% say that President Joe Biden is responsible for what they see as an economic downturn.

CNBC says a recession is an extended period of economic decline, usually designated when GDP has declined for two or more consecutive fiscal quarters. “Under those terms, the U.S. is definitively not in a recession.” GDP grew by 1.6% in the first quarter of 2024. Granted, that is a decelerated rate from the 3.3% growth of the fourth quarter of 2023, but it is not recessionary. In fact, American GDP growth has been outpacing that of other developed nations.

The Guardian/Harris poll is yet another example of an ongoing gap between economic data and economic feelings. Despite some positive signals that the economy is recovering from the pandemic chaos that disrupted supply chains and sent inflation skyrocketing, consumer attitudes have lagged, often driven by the high costs of daily living caused by stubbornly high inflation.

Will Private Jets Go Really Private?

Legislation just signed into law has made it exceedingly difficult to track the jets activity

Celebrities and billionaires have long complained that it’s just way too easy for random people on the internet to monitor where they fly on their private jets. Some of those people just want to know where Taylor Swift is headed, while others are looking to shame the rich to stop exhausting so much fuel on a single flight from Vegas to LA.

Well, that era of easy tracking might be coming to an end. Gizmodo reports that “our government’s legislators have heard these complaints and, unlike when the rest of us whine about stuff, actually done something.” An amendment in the Federal Aviation Administration re-authorization bill that was passed last week will allow private aircraft owners to anonymize their registration information. President Biden just signed the FAA bill into law, after it passed in the Senate 88-4 and the House 387 to 26.

Jet tracking has been made possible (up until this point) because plane owners must register aircraft ownership information with the FAA civil registry. That registry has been public until now, allowing for such data points to be combined with open radar mapping to understand where and when certain planes were traveling. Jack Sweeney is the master at it—he’s the guy that nearly came to legal blows with Elon Musk over his account, @ElonJet, which was suspended for tracking Musk’s private aviation movements. But he says that this new law won’t stop him. “Quite possibly it makes me want to push even harder on tracking,“ he posted to X yesterday.

Your Earbuds and You

What’s all that listening really doing to us?

Look around you—maybe you’re at work, on your daily commute or at your breakfast table—there’s a good chance you’ll see a few people with wireless earbuds. Today’s best buds need to do a lot more than just play music. They’re expected to connect reliably to all of our devices, shield against the cacophony of a commute, deliver clear vocals in blustery conditions, and more—all while looking both stylish and discreet. That’s why we love them, right?

Last year, over half a billion pairs of headphones were sold—according to Grand View Research—nearly double the number sold a decade ago. Many of us wear earbuds for hours at a time, sometimes all day long. In fact, I’ve got mine in while I’m writing this newsletter. But, according to NPR, all that listening is taking a toll on our hearing. The World Health Organization estimates that over 1 billion young adults, ages 12 to 35, are at risk of permanent, avoidable hearing loss due to “unsafe listening practices.” By 2050, the WHO predicts that one in 10 of us will experience “disabling hearing loss.”

But there are some things you can do to protect your hearing. For starters, medical experts recommend setting a max volume limit on your phone (which you can find in your settings). If you tend to listen to your earbuds at higher volume, consider taking more breaks to give your ears a rest. And if your earbuds have a noise canceling feature, use it—apparently, it provides your ears a bit of extra protection from loud environments.

Gear Up for Summer

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Listen up.