New Delhi: America’s seniors are lighting up, and not just the barbecue. The nation’s fastest-growing group of cannabis users is not teenagers or millennials, it is grandma and grandpa.
According to new research published in JAMA Internal Medicine, marijuana use among adults 65 and older jumped a stunning 46% from 2021 to 2023. That is not a typo.
Seven percent of U.S. seniors, according to Axios, admitted to using marijuana in just the past month.
And while that number may not seem huge, it marks a sharp increase from just 4.8% two years earlier, raising eyebrows in both medical and public health circles.
The rise is being driven by a mix of easier access (thanks to legal weed), shifting social norms and the efforts to manage chronic pain, anxiety and insomnia. But some experts say this silver-stoner surge could come with serious downsides.
Cannabis can be tricky. It may help with pain, but it can also interfere with medications, impair senses and increase fall risk.
In other words, weed today is not your Woodstock weed. Today’s strains are stronger, more psychoactive and far less predictable, especially in bodies dealing with age-related conditions like hypertension, diabetes and COPD.
Interestingly, the biggest surge in cannabis use came from wealthier older adults – those earning over $75,000 per year. This group went from the lowest usage rate in 2021 (4.2%) to the highest in 2023 (9.1%).
Women also showed a more pronounced spike in use, even though overall male use remains slightly higher.
The survey did not distinguish between medical and recreational use, leaving open a key question – are seniors turning to cannabis as an alternative therapy or just a new way to unwind?
Either way, experts warn the line between healing and harm can be razor thin – especially in older adults who may not be getting the right guidance.
In an editorial published alongside the study, three geriatricians issued a warning – while cannabis may be an appealing option for some, we do not yet have enough evidence to fully understand the risks.
Is this a brave new world of green medicine for America’s aging population or an underregulated gamble with high-stakes consequences? Either way, one thing is clear – the golden years just got a little greener.
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