From 2016 to 2018, there was an increase in cannabis [marijuana] use among men and women aged 55 years and older, according to a research letter published online in the Annals of Internal Medicine. According to primary researchers Benjamin Han and Joseph Palamar (2020), there is an increasing interest in cannabis among older adults for medical and/or recreational purposes and they do not know why. From 2006-2016, use among Americans age 65 and older increased dramatically from 0.4% to 2.9% (Han & Palamar, 2020).
Palamar, associate professor of population health at NYU Grossman School of Medicine, and Han, assistant professor of geriatric medicine and palliative care at Grossman, have studied marijuana use by older Americans for the last decade. Analyzing [secondary] data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, a nationally representative sample of 15,000 community-dwelling Americans, Han and Palamar analyzed a question on the previous survey about "marijuana, hashish, pot, grass, and hash oil use either smoked or ingested." It did not ask about the use of THC or CBD topicals or pills (LaMotte, 2020).
The researchers found that for all respondents in all years, the average prevalence of cannabis use was 4.9 percent. The prevalence of use was about double for men versus women and decreased with increasing age among those aged 65 years or older. Cannabis use increased for men in all age groups from 2016 to 2018 and for most women except those aged 55 to 59 years. Use increased from 4.3 to 8.2 percent in men and from 2.1 to 3.8 percent in women among those aged 65 to 69 years. For those aged 65 years and older reporting use in the previous 30 days, 11.7, 24.1, 37.8, and 26.4 percent reported use on one, two to four, five to 29, and all 30 days, respectively. "We advise health care providers, including acute and chronic care providers, to be attentive to the potential for cannabis use in older adults," the authors write. "Moreover, we encourage more pharmacoepidemiologic and clinical trials of cannabis use in this rapidly growing segment of the population” (Physician’s Weekly, 2020).
What do these numbers mean? Researchers Han and Palamar are troubled by their findings. They found a “startling rise” of 180% in seniors with diabetes and they don’t know why. They found that healthier older adults are using cannabis more than sick people. They are also using cannabis with alcohol and other prescribed medications, which may lead to life-threatening interactions, especially combining Warafin, which may lead to increased bleeding. Palamar also cautioned that today’s marijuana is far more potent than in the ’60s and ’70s, with some older adults eating a marijuana cookie and phoning 911 because they think they are dying (LaMotte, 2020).
References:
Han, B.H., & Palamar, J.J. (2020). Trends in cannabis use among older adults in the United States, 2015-2018. Abstract. JAMA Internal Med, 180(4), 609-611.
LaMotte, S. (24 February, 2020). Marijuana use is rising sharply among seniors over 65, study says, and there are serious risks. CNN Health. Retrieved from https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/24/health/weed-marijuana-seniors-wellness/index.html
Physician’s Weekly, 31 August 2020. https://www.physiciansweekly.com/cannabis-use-increased-among-older-adults-from-2016-to-2018/
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