When the New York Times runs a feature story with the title: Lighting Up Later in Life, you know that there are big changes occurring within the cannabis space.
From a purely technical standpoint, it shouldn’t be too surprising that marijuana consumption is a popular activity for senior citizens (Older Stoners) as many of us started indulging back in the 1970’s (or earlier). A quick check of the calendar highlights the fact that many of today’s senior citizen cannabis smokers were active participants in their teens.
Walk into a medical or adult use dispensary and the likelihood is that 50+% of the people who are buying cannabis products are seniors. That wasn’t the case years ago and particularly before states began legalizing the sale of cannabis for both medical and adult use.
The Times article is worthwhile to read. It highlights the growth the industry has experienced and some of the concerns. Check out this data from the article:
Although the data is a couple of years old, here’s an interesting article on Cannabis use in seniors that was published by UC San Diego Health. It explains some of the reasons that older folks are begging to use cannabis in greater numbers.
Highlights of this article include these tidbits:
Some research suggests that cannabis use, especially in older individuals can lead to dizziness, impaired memory, and cognitive decline. It may also interact with medications senior citizens are taking for other health issues. So, it’s valuable to speak with your physician to get any feedback they may have, that would be unique to you.
If you are a senior citizen (Older Stoner) who has developed a cannabis routine that is working well to meet your goals, that’s fabulous!
If you are just getting started with cannabis, try to talk to as many people as possible (cannabis coaches, budtenders, friends, cannabis doctors, etc.) who have product knowledge, start slowly and enjoy the ride!.