CNN’s Whole Story with Anderson Cooper dedicated this week’s episode to an analysis of how seniors are turning to cannabis in increasing numbers.
According to Cooper:
“There’s still a lot more studies to be done on cannabis and its risks and benefits for the elderly, but it is already catching on. People over 65 years old are now considered the fastest-growing demographic of cannabis customers.”
Wow, that’s a powerful statement. Not only does it point to the fact that seniors are indulging in marijuana in dramatically increasing numbers, but it also points to the notion that the stigma which many pot smokers have endured (or hid from) over the years is fading.
It’s not only Anderson Cooper (and CNN) who are onto the fact that seniors are using cannabis in greater numbers than ever before. In fact, an article published in Psychiatric Times, March of 2021 notes that:
“medical marijuana use by individuals 65 or older has increased more than 8-fold in recent years, from less than 0.5% in 2006 to 4.2% in 2018”.
Between 2015 and 2018, marijuana use in people over 65 jumped 75% according to CNN’s report.
I haven’t found data that is more recent than this, but I’d bet the 4.2% (senior usage) from 2018 is materially greater today, given the number of states that have legalized adult use cannabis since 2018.
On the August 6, 2023 edition of the Whole Story, Dr. Sanjay Gupta takes a ride on a “cannabus” that drives seniors to nearby cannabis dispensaries in Southern California. They also pay a visit to a very large “grow” operation, where cannabis plants are designed with older people in mind.
“Over the last decade reporting on medical marijuana, time and time again, what has surprised me the most is the optimism, the possibility, and the impact that carefully controlled cannabis can have, even on seniors, for a better quality of life,” Dr. Gupta said.
That quote pretty much says it all. Senior citizens continue to become exposed to cannabis and for some, it enables them to reduce their dependence on traditional pharmaceutical remedies and place greater emphasis on the marijuana plant and all of the benefits that health professionals are beginning to understand and appreciate.