Study finds seniors finding help with cannabis
The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) reports on a study finding that senior citizens are using cannabis to mitigate symptoms of older age:
Investigators affiliated with the University of California at San Diego surveyed 568 respondents at a geriatric clinic in southern California. All of the study’s participants were at least 65 years of age, and 73 percent of respondents were older than 75.
Fifteen percent of those surveyed reported consuming either cannabis or CBD within the past three years; over half of those who responded affirmatively reported using cannabis products either daily or weekly. Seventy-eight percent of consumers described their use as medical, primarily to mitigate pain, improve sleep, or to reduce anxiety. Some three-fifths of users in the survey acknowledged initiating their use of cannabis products as older adults. Fewer than half of all elderly consumers reported ever having spoken to their health care provider about their cannabis use.
Commenting on the findings, NORML Deputy Director Paul Armentano said: “It is not surprising that a rising percentage of seniors consider cannabis to a viable therapeutic option in their later years. Many seniors struggle with pain, anxiety, restless sleep, and other conditions for which cannabis products may help mitigate. Moreover, many seniors are well aware of the litany of serious adverse side-effects associated with available prescription drugs, like opioids or sleep aids, and they perceive medical cannabis to be a practical and potentially safer alternative.”
photo courtesy @natnlNORML on Instagram
