The Story so Far: Older adults and Medical Marijuana Uses

There is an increased use of marijuana among the older adults as seen in recent times. Analysts say that, about 7000 people per day are trying cannabis for their first time. With the continued reforms on marijuana, the herb has notably been the widely used recreational substance in the United States. Studies show that 7.8% of Americans inhale, eat, vape or dab the substance. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention has in its efforts continued to track illicit use of drugs, made possible through the National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Current research shows that cannabis can easily be obtained today more than the case was in the past. This has largely been attributed to the continued legalization of marijuana both for medical and recreational use across America. For young people in school, marijuana use is going down due to the measures that have been put in place to curb it. However, the average age of an individual endeavoring to use cannabis for their first time has increased tremendously. This means that most consumers though not legally acceptable start at about the age of 19 years.

Older adults have not been left out in this continued turn of events. Actually, some experts in California believe that the state would have legalized recreational weed use long before 2016 were it not for the opposition coming from the senior citizens. Surprisingly, a lot of changes have been realized now that marijuana has been found to treat most of these old-age health complications. Perceptions considering cannabis as a huge risk have significantly gone down. Today, there is an increasing acceptance for individuals who used weed on a number of occasions in a particular month. Not many people are becoming dependent on cannabis as well. According to CDC, dependency on marijuana decreased to 1.6% in 2014 from 1.8% in 2002. With the influx of infrequent users and others trying it out for their first time, analysts believe that it could be the reason for such a shift.

The understanding as of today is that, a lot more older adults have reconsidered their stand on cannabis. They are now flocking to marijuana centers to get information concerning weed and how they can use it to boost their health. In an effort to assist older adults in improving their quality of life, marijuana experts have been in the forefront to enlighten them. There have been a lot of misconceptions concerning medical cannabis, particularly among these aging individuals. Licensed marijuana delivery services have been very instrumental in turning around this situation for them. They have been offering medical marijuana recommendation services and information about different cannabis strains that can be used by the older adults. Many are now taking orientation classes where all risks and benefits of marijuana are discussed. More than that, they also get to know about realistic expectations and results, dosages and various ways in which cannabis can be used. For that matter, weed can be used as liquid tinctures, smoking products, edibles and topic ointments. Older adults in states that have legalized marijuana have unlimited access to ask questions and seek clarifications about any concerns they have concerning marijuana. Even before they can start the process of acquiring a medical marijuana card, they have been seeking information on marijuana use for medical reasons. Healthcare and family workers have also been part of this new move and apparently, the older adults like it, feeling safe that there is proof that cannabis could actually address most of the health complications troubling them.

So, what have older adults learned about marijuana?

Despite the many wrangles and disregard for marijuana among older adults, there is a significant change of perception that has seen senior citizens consider adding value to their lives using marijuana. So, what have they found out? First, older adults now realize that weed is actually safer to use than many of the conventional prescription drugs that they have been using for years. With their dwindling health due to age, older adults fall for prescription drugs.  Marijuana beats conventional drugs when it comes to side effects associated with different types of medication substances. No one has been reported dead over an overdose on weed unlike the case has been for prescription drugs.

A research that has been in progress for over 30 years now has found out that an individual weight 140 pounds would get intoxicated after consuming more than 4 pounds of weed at ago. This would not even cause any fatality. Most importantly, cannabis contains powerful anti-oxidant effects useful in providing relief for such disorders as inflammation of the liver from Hepatitis C, irritable bowel syndrome, lupus, chronic pain and other health conditions involving oxidative and inflammation damage. Again, marijuana is available in different forms and older adults don’t have to smoke it. They can now benefit from marijuana use through weed edibles, concentrates, oils and vapes. With this overwhelming evidence, older adults are now heading to medical marijuana dispensaries occasionally.