Why more American seniors are getting high

No age group is taking up cannabis faster

AS AMERICA HAS legalised marijuana, all demographic groups are using more of it. None is indulging as enthusiastically as seniors. In 2007 just one in 300 Americans aged 65 and older reported using cannabis within the previous 12 months, according to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH). That figure is one in ten for today’s over-65s. No other age group has increased its use faster. One in 15 seniors say they use it at least monthly.

That's the finding of researchers at Colorado State University who say booming indoor marijuana production in the United States is a major and growing source of greenhouse gas emissions that cause global warming. (Unsplash)

Many seniors are turning to marijuana in new forms and to ameliorate new ailments. Like any intoxicating substance, cannabis comes with risks. But users insist it brings relief for many health problems. A new working paper argues that, for some older Americans, it may even be life-saving.

One reason for the cannabis craze is that today’s seniors are yesterday’s hippies. Our analysis suggests that more than half of the seniors who use cannabis today started more than 15 years ago.

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Older folk are also using the drug more because they can get it more easily. Cannabis is now legal for medical use in 40 states and for recreational use in 24, plus Washington, DC. More than half of Americans live in a state that permits recreational use. As laws have relaxed, stigma has waned. Finding the stuff is also easier: more than three-quarters of Americans live in a county with a cannabis dispensary. Retailers sell marijuana in many new forms, including edibles, lotions and tinctures, which are popular among older users.

Seniors are increasingly using marijuana to treat insomnia and mental-health conditions such as anxiety. This can be risky for people who take other medications. When paired with some prescriptions, marijuana can worsen dizziness and confusion, which can lead to falls.

Despite such risks, surveys of marijuana users suggest the drug is remarkably effective for relieving pain. It may even save lives. A new working paper by Sara Markowitz of Emory University and co-authors suggests that giving older Americans access to marijuana to manage mental-health problems and chronic pain may reduce suicide rates. Using state-level data from the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention and RAND, a think-tank, the authors estimate that the opening of an outlet that sells cannabis for recreational use is associated with a 4% reduction in suicides among people aged 45 and up. Among low-educated white Americans aged 45-54, a group with a high suicide rate, it is associated with a 6% decline. Critics have long denounced marijuana as a gateway drug to riskier substances. Some day it could be considered a life-saving one.