correction
An earlier headline for this report said drinking was at a historic low last year. The study found that binge drinking had hit a record, not all drinking. That headline has been corrected, and context about binge drinking has been added to the story.
The coronavirus pandemic that’s killed more than 658,000 people in the United States and infected 41 million, upended economies and moved classes to bedrooms may have added another change for college students: less booze and more weed.
A newly released study found that nearly half of the country’s college-age students said they consumed marijuana last year, leading researchers to wonder whether the pandemic may have spurred the record in cannabis consumption. One says the trend underpins the changing practices during — and struggles to adapt to — the global health crisis.
