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Weed Between the Lines: Pot use among seniors keeps going up
Pot use among seniors keeps going up by Seymour
The#number#of#seniors#who#are#using#mari0 juana#just#keeps#going#up#—#in#fact,#the# number#nearly#doubled#between#2015#and# 2018,#according#to#recently#released# research#out#of#New#York#University.# Led#by#Joseph#Palamar,#the#NYU#team#sur0 veyed#more#than#15,000#older#folks#—#65#years#
old#and#up#—#and#found#that#4.2%#reported#using# marijuana#in#some#form#(as#compared#to#2.4%#in# 2015),#with#certain#groups#appearing#to#be#more# likely#to#use.#
For#example,#men#were#nearly#twice#as#likely# to#use#marijuana#compared#to#women#(though# there#was#a#whopping#93%#increase#in#the#num0 ber#of#female#seniors#who#reported#using#marijua0 na).#College0educated#seniors#were#more#likely#to# use#it#than#those#with#only#a#high#school#degree# or#less,#as#were#those#with#higher#incomes#and# those#who#were#married.#
Palamar#has#been#researching#marijuana#use# among#American#seniors#for#the#last#decade#using# data#from#the#National#Survey#on#Drug#Use#and# Health.#The#number#of#seniors#who#admit#to#using# marijuana#has#risen#sharply#since#2006,#with#less# than#1%#(0.4%)#of#seniors#reporting#using#mari0 juana#products#that#year.#
“Marijuana#use#among#seniors# is#not#bouncing#up#and#down#like# with#other#drugs,”#Palamar#told# CNN#in#late#February.#“It’s#a# straight#line#up.”
The#survey#asks#questions# about#“marijuana,#hashish,#pot,# grass#and#hash#oil#use#either# smoked#or#ingested,”#but#doesn’t# ask#directly#about#more#contempo0 rary#methods#of#delivery#such#as# THC#or#CBD#topicals#or#pills.#
While#the#survey#didn’t#directly# ask#seniors#if#they#were#using#mari0 juana#specifically#for#medical#bene0 fits,#Palamar#told# HealthDay+News he#thinks#this#is#the#case.
“From#what#I#see,#I#think#a#lot# of#older#people#are#using#weed#more#for#medical# reasons#rather#than#recreational#reasons,”# Palamar#said.#“I#know#someone#in#this#age#group# who#[thought]#never#in#a#million#years#[would#they] use#marijuana.#She#eats#a#marijuana#gummy# every#night#to#help#her#sleep,#because#she#feels#it# helps#better#than#anything#else.#I#think#this#is# becoming#more#common.”
But#Palamar#stresses#that#seniors#—#even# though#they#may#have#used#pot#heavily#in#their# youth#—#need#to#be#careful.#
“If#you’re#in#your#late#60s#or#70s#and#you# haven’t#smoked#weed#in#decades#and#you#reiniti0 ate#weed#one#day,#you#might#not#know#what#to# expect,”#Palamar#told# HealthDay+News.#“Your# body#is#much#different#in#your#60s#than#it#was# when#you#were#a#teenager.#You#might#not#be#able# to#handle#it,#especially#considering#that#weed# appears#to#be#getting#more#potent.”
Tracy#Mahaven,#an#associate#professor#of# pharmacy#practice#of#the#University#of#Wyoming,# told# CNN#that#seniors#need#to#consider#the#pre0 scription#medication#they#are#taking#when#they# decide#to#use#marijuana.#She#specifically#pointed# to#the#the#blood#thinner#warfarin.#
“Marijuana#may#increase#the#serum#concen0 trations#of#warfarin#and#increase#the#risk#for# bleeds,”#Mahvan#said.#
Then#there#are#concerns#about#dizziness,#falls# and#short0term#memory#loss#(which#can#lead#to# forgetting#to#take#important#medications).#
“Cannabis#use#was#very#stigmatized#in#the# past#but#now#we#have#all#these#new#laws#passing# about#medical#use#of#cannabis,#so#people#are# curious#to#see#if#it#is#something#that#can#be#used# to#treat#their#chronic#disease,”#NYU#study#co0 author#Benjamin#Han#told# STAT. Han#stressed#how#important#it#is#for#health# care#providers#to#be#aware#of#growing#marijuana# use#among#seniors,#and#be#prepared#to#talk#about# the#potential#benefits#and#side#effects.#
“As#health#care#providers,#we#don’t#do#a#very# good#job#of#screening#older#patients#for#substance# use,”#Han#said.#“This#is#something#we#need#to#be# asking,#and#be#prepared#to#answer#any#questions# about.”#
The#study#was#published#Feb.#24#in# JAMA+ Internal+Medicine.#
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