Seniors and Cannabis

Came across quite the headline:

There’s been a huge spike in the number of seniors smoking pot and taking cannabis edibles


So I read on.......

These seniors don’t fear the reefer.

In fact, the number of Americans ages 65 and up who smoke marijuana or take edibles spiked 75% in just three years, according to a new study published in JAMA this week.

Researchers analyzed the data from just under 15,000 adults in the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, and found that the number of those 65-plus who had smoked or ingested “marijuana, hashish, pot, grass and hash oil” jumped from 2.4% in 2015 to 4.2% in 2018. A decade earlier, just 0.4% of people in this age group copped to using cannabis in any form.

The new analysis found that the rise in marijuana use was highest among women (up 93%) and racial and ethnic minorities (up 336%) in particular. There was also a significant increase among Americans over 65 who were married (up 100%), college educated (up almost 114%), those who had been treated for mental health issues in the past year (up 157%), as well as those who reported incomes of $20,000 to $49,000 (up almost 139%) and $75,000 or higher (up 129%).

What’s more, a surprising number of diabetics are going to pot, with a 180% relative increase in marijuana use among those with diabetes between 2015 and 2018.

(https://www.marketwatch.com/story/theres-been-a-huge-spike-in-the-number-of-seniors-smoking-pot-and-taking-cannabis-edibles-2020-02-25)


I guess that I would not have expected to see stats like this.  Up 93% in women.  WOW

Definitely safe to say that marijuana is back - is accepted - is popular - and is here to stay.


The full study is here:
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/2761271


Grace & Peace & Love to you all -

Matt