Monthly Prescribing Reference (MPR/EMPR) recently published an article on the growing use of marijuana in geriatric practice, presenting some interesting facts on marijuana use among older Americans.
Among many points, the article delivers various research insights pulled from well-reputed sources, including the following highlights:
- The University of Washington found that from 2002-2014 the proportion of adults aged 50 to 64 who reported cannabis use in the past year more than tripled from 2.9% to 9.0%
- According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), marijuana use among adults 65 and older, saw a ten-fold increase from 0.2% to 2.1% from 2002-2014
- SAMHSA also found that as many as 132,000 adults aged 65 or older use marijuana on a given day
- The clinical journal Addiction found that cannabis use among adults aged 50-64 increased 57.8% from 2006-2013, while increasing 250% for adults aged 65 and older
- The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) found that medical-only use of marijuana was directly associated with older age initiation, disability, Medicaid status and stroke diagnosis
- The American Geriatric Society surveyed 138 senior citizens using medical marijuana, and 91% would recommend the treatment
The article went on to explore common conditions that older patients use marijuana for, including pain, insomnia, glaucoma, and to manage side effects from chemotherapy, conditions which are commonly included in medical marijuana laws across the country.
