Growing Acceptance of Cannabis Among Seniors
Recently, Don Searles attended a party and did not want to arrive empty-handed. So, he prepared some peanut brittle using a cherished family recipe, but with a contemporary addition. “We added the marijuana,” he mentioned.
The gathering was hosted by 74-year-old Gayle Crawley at the Trilogy retirement community located about an hour east of San Francisco. Interestingly, the local golf course now faces competition in popularity from cannabis-related activities.
A study published in JAMA Internal Medicine revealed that from 2021 to 2023, there was a 46% increase in cannabis use among Americans aged 65 and older. Crawley pointed out that these statistics indicate cannabis serves as “a good solution to a lot of medicinal issues.”
Currently, cannabis is legal for medical use in 40 states and for recreational use in 24, as per data from the National Conference of State Legislatures. This significant shift has helped in reducing the associated stigma.
Another party guest, Steven Clarke, shared that he has never smoked but favors edibles. When questioned on his attraction to cannabis, Clarke stated, “it does work on PTSD, pain issues, relaxation issues, brain disorders, heart disease.”
However, not everyone in the medical field fully endorses these views. Matt Springer, a professor at UC San Francisco, cautioned that THC, the main psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, might pose health threats regardless of how it is consumed. He remarked, “If they are smoking marijuana, we can be pretty confident that they’re harming their cardiovascular system,” adding that even consuming THC “is not without risk.”
Other studies have linked cannabis use with increased risks of cardiovascular disease, including a twofold risk of mortality, a 29% higher chance of acute coronary syndrome, and a 20% higher risk of stroke, according to a study released in June which analyzed data from 24 studies conducted between 2016 and 2023.
Searles, who dealt with chronic pain from a motorcycle accident five years ago, expressed skepticism about the findings. “I go to my doctor, and he says, geez, quit drinking milk. Uh, stay away from the sugar. What isn’t bad for you these days?” he reflected.
