Marijuana Has Special Risks for Older People – WSJ

In California, emergency room visits for problems related to cannabis use in adults ages 65 and older increased from a rate of 20.7 per 100,000 visits in 2005 to 395.0 per 100,000 in 2019, according to a January study from doctors at the University of California San Diego.

Although pot products pose some health risks, the reason that seniors are taking them is largely because they are trying to manage other health problems. Among a group of nearly 600 adults over age 65, 15% reported using cannabis within the past three years, according to a 2020 study in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. 

Nearly 80% of those seniors said they took cannabis for medical reasons, with pain, sleep and anxiety the top reasons cited. Most said their family members knew they used it, but only 40% reported telling their healthcare providers.

They are seeking a means of treating these troublesome conditions for which the medical therapies we have are not terrific or difficult to access, says Alison Moore, professor and chief of geriatrics, gerontology and palliative care at the University of California San Diego, and senior author of the study.

via www.wsj.com

Of sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll, only one turns out to be good for you, which just figures.