HALF of Americans have tried cannabis and 17% use it regularly, poll shows in latest warning of breakneck legalization

Half of Americans in a new survey said they have tried marijuana recreationally, stoking fears that America's rapid legalization of pot is driving up use, especially among young people.

Polling firm Gallup said the 50 percent of Americans who have tried weed marked a 2 percentage point increase from the last time they canvassed the nation at the start of 2022.

The survey of 1,105 adults showed that the share of regular users has ticked up to 17 percent. That's more than double the number in 2013.

'As marijuana has become more available to Americans and legal in an increasing number of states, their reports of use and experimentation have increased too,' Gallup said in a statement.

America crosses the half-way mark: 50 percent of the population has sampled pot  

A customer buy recreational pot at a dispensary on the first day of legal sales in Leicester, Massachusetts, in 2018

'Now, half of the country has tried it, while the other half say they never have.'

The survey heightens concerns that the legalization of cannabis across 23 US states and Washington DC is driving up consumption, especially among teens and young adults who are prone to its negative effects.

Advocates say pot has health and social benefits, but critics say widespread use leads to higher rates of mental health problems, substance abuse and even more stoned drivers causing car crashes.

As the polling was released, child and adolescent psychiatrist Bobby Smyth warned on social media that legalization had led to rising rates of drug dependence and emergency room visits for young and old alike.

That's 'why doctors, eg American Medical Association, oppose cannabis legalization,' said Smyth.

The US government's Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's says pot use can disproportionately impact young people, with negative effects on their brain development and mental health.

Gallup researchers found that pot use is highest among adults aged 18 to 34.

Nearly a third of them use cannabis regularly, compared to just 9 percent of those aged 55 and older.

There was also a political divide. Fully 57 percent of Democratic respondents said they had tried marijuana, compared to 52 percent of independents and 39 percent of Republicans.

Minnesota became the 23rd state to legalize recreational marijuana with a law, passed earlier this year, that came into effect on August 1.

Legalization across growing swathes of America comes as scientists increasingly sound alarms about the drug.

Experts from Stanford University revealed in February that cannabis users are up to a third more likely to suffer a heart attack than others.

Researchers backed by the National Institute on Drug Abuse in May warned that pot may be driving a 30 percent surge in schizophrenia cases among young men.

Young, Democratic-voting men are at the vanguard of America's cannabis culture

Joshua Jimenez died by suicide in December 2021 at the age of 22. Josh had been using marijuana since age 14 and was hospitalized three times for psychosis linked to weed

The above shows cannabis use across American states. Twenty-one states and DC have legalized it for recreational use in addition to medicinal use, while nearly all now allow it to be used for medicinal purposes.

That same month, relatives of three people who abused cannabis told DailyMail.com about how their lives had been turned upside down by pot.

READ MORE: Number of attempted suicides by cannabis users is rising 

Researchers who analyzed national poison center data found that the number of people who had marijuana in their system when they tried to kill themselves has risen 17 percent every year since 2009. 

Sonia Jimenez, from Houston, Texas, lost her son Josh, 22, to suicide in December 2021, which she believes was caused by chronic cannabis use.

Josh started smoking and vaping the drug in 9th grade and soon formed a habit that resulted in three bouts of hospital stays for psychosis. 

After he began using weed, Josh's grades started slipping. He also became extremely paranoid, saying that his friends had been trying to kill him, adding that he was seeing 'some really scary stuff like dark, almost like demonic beings,' according to his sister.

At one point, he fell asleep behind the wheel, going about 100 miles per hour, and was in a severe car crash. Another time, he fell asleep after smoking or lighting a candle, according to his sister, which caused a massive fire.

Josh's sister Alex said he had borrowed money from family members before running away in the night to California. When he ran out of cash, Josh's family paid for a bus to bring him back to Texas. But he never made it home. Josh got off the bus in Pecos, Texas, and jumped in front of a train.

His family blame the extremely potent strains of cannabis Josh was smoking. THC, particularly in high doses, has been associated with the development of different psychiatric disorders from depression to schizophrenia and psychosis.