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.

One of the most notable benefits of both THC and CBD, though, is that they can serve as natural alternatives to over-the-counter medications such as oxycodone and hydrocodone. Not only are medications like these highly addictive, but they can also cause seriously detrimental side effects such as seizures, kidney failure, and even death.

Cannabis, on the other hand, has very few side effects and has never caused any fatalities, making it a more beneficial, safer option in some cases. L

eno recalls a 70-year-old patient who suffered from chronic pain and took too much Oxycodone but adamantly refused to smoke marijuana. Leno certified her for a medical marijuana card, recommending she try edibles or tinctures instead of flower, and within weeks, the patient’s life had changed for the better.

Debra Gerson is one of the many people whose lives have changed for the better because of CBD. Gerson turned to CBD six months ago in hopes of relieving the pain of her injured knee.

“It wasn’t getting better after six months of resting and physical therapy, and even though I didn’t really believe it would work, I was desperate to try something. So, I started to use it, and after a couple of weeks, I started to feel better.”

Despite a seemingly never-ending list of possible benefits, Leno made it clear that, like every other medication, cannabis is not a one-size-fits-all solution. T

he majority of older adults who use CBD use it for inflammation. Gloria Stoddart, a 63-yearold who used CBD for a few months in 2019, was one of them. Stoddart began using a CBD tincture in hopes of reducing her inflammation but didn’t notice any significant effect.

“I tried it for two or three months and it really didn’t do that much for my inflammation or as a muscle relaxer,” Stoddart said. “Maybe the psychological factor helped but not enough for me to want to stay on the path of taking that — I really wanted it to do something else.”

While CBD wasn’t as effective for Stoddart as she had originally hoped, she recognized that this might not always be the case for others in her age group.

As older Americans increasingly join millions of others benefitting from cannabis’ natural effects, users, skeptics, and health professionals alike can all agree on hoping for more research and a better understanding of the plant. The general consensus for now, though? Do research, speak to a health professional, and stay open-minded.