NEW TREND SPOTTING:
Mom, Granny's Lighting Up Again Among the growing legalization of cannabis, a record-high number of Americans are experimenting with marijuana — even an unsuspecting age group. Cannabis, the plant often associated with hippie culture and a case of the munchies, has made a recent resurgence in a surprising demographic: seniors. Just in the past five years, Americans aged 50+ have substantially increased their usage of the plant, whether it be in the form of CBD (a compound in hemp — cannabis with less than 0.3% of THC) or marijuana (cannabis with more than 0.3% THC). According to the Journal of American Medical Association, marijuana use among American adults 65 years and older increased from 2.4% to 4.2% between 2015 and 2018, nearly doubling in a mere three years. A 2020 study in the Journal of the American Geriatric Society also found that 15% of 568 Americans 65 or older had used cannabis within the previous three years, with 53% reporting daily or weekly use. Along with this, CBD, which has become popular (and legal) within the past two years, is used by approximately 19% of all adults aged 50+, as reported by the analytics company Gallup. So why are our grandmothers and grandfathers now more likely to get a medical marijuana card or include a couple drops of CBD oil in their morning cups of tea than people of the same age group in previous generations? One physician, Dr. Anthony Leno, believes that this phenomenon can be partially explained by a decrease in the stigmatization of cannabis, which has come largely as a result of increased legalization across the nation. “It [cannabis] has so infiltrated conversational nomenclature in places where it’s legal that there is almost no stigma anymore,” Leno said. “I think that it [stigma around cannabis use] is absolutely dropping away,” Several states have fully legalized marijuana, and many others have legalized it for medical use. Along with this, CBD became federally legal, and, in turn, widely available, in late 2018. These changes in legislation have encouraged a greater number of adults to change the way they think about cannabis. Another explanation for this increase could be greater, more widespread awareness of the plant’s possible benefits. Marijuana has been linked to helping chronic pain, relieving symptoms of glaucoma, increasing appetite, and more. Some advantages of CBD include relieving joint pain, helping with insomnia, and alleviating mental health issues such as depression and anxiety. 8
