Generally speaking, marijuana smokers are thought to come from the younger set. But the baby boomers whom you may think renounced their pot-smoking ways after Woodstock, or once the realities of adulthood set in, actually represent one of the fastest-growing demographics when it comes to pot use. And while marijuana’s medical benefits are one of the main reasons behind this trend, experts believe there are other reasons why more Americans aged 55 and above are toking up.
According to a report from Live Science, statistics from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have shown an increase in marijuana use among pot smokers aged 55 to 64, with rates increasing from 1.1 percent of the population in 2002, to 6.1 percent in 2014. That’s a whopping 455 percent rise, as compared to the rather meager 13 percent increase among younger marijuana users aged 18 to 25 over the same period of time. And it’s those trends that inspired a team of scientists to release a review of existing studies and see why more older Americans are smoking marijuana.
The medical benefits of pot were among the reasons the researchers concluded may be among those driving such a rapid increase in its use among seniors. Currently, there are 21 states that allow the use of medical marijuana, and cannabis has proven to be effective in dealing with the symptoms of cancer, neurological illnesses, nausea, glaucoma, and other conditions common among older individuals.
Given the strong connection of marijuana to 1960s and 1970s culture, experts also believe the above trends are brought about by the natural aging of “pot-tolerant” baby boomers. A report from News-Medical.net cited data from the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration that suggests about 90 percent of pot smokers above 50 haven’t experienced any emotional or functional issues, and that older users generally start smoking marijuana before the age of 30, and in many cases before they turn 18.
Still, those two factors only paint part of the picture, according to study author Brian Kaskie, a professor at the University of Iowa’s College of Public Health. He theorized that it’s not just natural aging and a recognition of marijuana’s medical benefits for older smokers that have contributed to the rising number of older Americans using the substance, but rather general social acceptance, as well as the fact that certain states have legalized marijuana for recreational and/or medical purposes.
However, not all is rosy as far as marijuana use among seniors is concerned. According to Kaskie, this growing trend may lead to public health issues as baby boomer smokers grow even older with the rest of the American population. That’s on top of the common concern regarding the growing prevalence of younger pot smokers, and as Kaskie describes it, his team’s review merely scratches the surface of an “imminent public health challenge.”
Further, Kaskie pointed out that there are many pressing questions that his team’s review doesn’t answer. Although many focus on marijuana and its medical benefits, there’s the possibility that it may be a gateway to more serious forms of substance abuse. The language doctors use when prescribing cannabis to their elderly patients, the feasibility of the substance as an opioid alternative for end-of-life pain, and the possible extension of medical marijuana laws to cover age-related ailments weren’t quite covered in the review.
“At this time, these sorts of critical public health policy questions cannot be answered, largely because there is a pervasive lack of reliable and representative information being collected about cannabis and older persons.”In order to address the above questions, the researchers believe that the best tool to use would be a statewide or national survey that looks into the legal and medical variables that have changed older peoples’ attitudes about marijuana in recent years.
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