A new study supported by AARP shows that marijuana use by older people in the United States has nearly doubled in the last three years—with most saying they use cannabis to relieve pain, help with sleep, improve mental health and achieve other benefits.
More than one in five Americans aged 50 and older now say they’ve used marijuana at least once in the past year, according to the survey conducted by the University of Michigan, while more than one in 10 consumed cannabis at least monthly. Researchers say they expect use rates among older adults to continue to increase as more states legalize.
Among respondents who did use cannabis within the past year, 81 percent said it was to relax, 68 percent reported using the drug as a sleep aid and 64 percent said it was simply to enjoy marijuana’s effects and feel good. Another 63 percent said they used cannabis for pain relief, while 53 percent said they used it to promote mental health.
AARP, which supported the study, noted that the 21 percent of Americans over 50 who now report using marijuana in the past year represents an increase in use among older adults nationally—nearly double the 12 percent who said in the prior edition of the poll in 2021 that they consumed cannabis in the past 12 months.
The younger segment of older adults were more likely to use on a monthly basis, as were people in fair or poor health and low-income households.
In the latest survey, 12 percent said they used cannabis at least once a month and 9 percent of people nationally said they consumed marijuana on a weekly basis, while 5 percent said they were daily users.
According to the new survey, the younger segment of older adults—ages 50 to 64—were more likely to use on a monthly basis, as were people in fair or poor health and low-income households.
In Michigan, which opened adult-use cannabis sales in December 2019, use rates were notably higher, with 27 percent reporting past-year use, 14 percent reporting weekly use and 9 percent using cannabis daily or almost daily.
The Michigan Poll on Healthy Aging asked 1,079 older adults in Michigan and 3,012 non-Michigan adults about their cannabis habits, focusing on THC-containing products in particular.
“With some form of cannabis use now legalized in 38 states and on the ballot in several others, and the federal rescheduling process under way, cannabis use is likely to grow.”
Authors of the new report say their findings underscore the need for further cannabis education.
“Our findings, in Michigan and nationally, show the need for more education and awareness, especially among those who choose to use cannabis more frequently,” Erin E. Bonar, a researcher and addiction psychologist, said in a statement.
“With some form of cannabis use now legalized in 38 states and on the ballot this November in several others, and the federal rescheduling process under way, cannabis use is likely to grow,” she added. “But as this poll shows, it is not risk-free, and more attention is needed to identify and reduce those risks.”
More than half (56 percent) of regular cannabis consumers—those who reported using at least monthly—said they’d discussed cannabis use with a health care provider, and nearly four in five (79 percent) said they believe marijuana is stronger than it was in decades past.
Bonar, however, noted that those numbers mean that 21 percent of older adults may not be aware of increases in THC levels since the 1990s and earlier. She also emphasized that while 72 percent of people believe that cannabis can be addictive, that means more than a quarter are at least skeptical.
“We see more people using cannabis as it’s legalized, and we don’t have enough information yet to know: Are there safe ways of using? Are there recommended guidelines?” Bonar told AARP. “So seeing the number creep up like that in the absence of really good scientific data to help guide people’s decisions with this, that’s a little bit concerning.”
Jeffrey Kullgren, an associate professor of internal medicine at the University of Michigan and a doctor at the Veterans Affairs Ann Arbor Healthcare system, directed the newly released poll. In a statement, he underscored the importance of people talking to health care providers about their cannabis use, which can help identify possibly risky drug interactions as well as signs of problematic use.
“Even if your doctor, nurse practitioner or pharmacist doesn’t ask if you’re using cannabis products, it’s important to offer this information, no matter whether you’re using it to address a physical or mental health concern, or simply for pleasure,” Kullgren said. “Many prescription medications and over-the-counter drugs, as well as alcohol, can interact with cannabis and cause unexpected or unwanted effects. And there are only a few conditions where we have good evidence of a medical benefit from cannabis, though this could change with time.”
A separate study concluded that cannabis-based products may provide multiple therapeutic benefits for older adults, including for health, well-being, sleep and mood.
The University of Michigan also noted in a description of the findings that federal rescheduling of cannabis to Schedule III under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) “may free more researchers to do studies of cannabis-derived products in clinical trials involving human volunteers.”
“Right now,” it added, “such research is very limited because of federal restrictions.”
The new findings come after a separate study earlier in 2024 concluded that cannabis-based products may provide multiple therapeutic benefits for older adults, including for health, well-being, sleep and mood.
Authors of that study, published in the journal Drugs and Aging, also observed “sizable reductions in pain severity and pain interference among older aged patients [reporting] chronic pain as their primary condition.”
Researchers said that investigation was meant to address “a general paucity of high quality research” around cannabis and older adults “and a common methodological practice of excluding those aged over 65 years from clinical trials” at a time when older patients are increasingly turning to medical marijuana for relief.
“International evidence that older individuals may be the fastest-growing increase in the use of medical marijuana, coupled with their frequent exclusion from controlled trials, indicates a growing need for real-world evidence to assess the effectiveness and safety of these drugs for older individuals,” the paper said.
Meanwhile, US officials at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced in the spring that the agency will use $8.4 million to support clinical trials into the safety and efficacy of psychedelic-assisted therapy to treat chronic pain in older adults.
A government notice about the grant program says the research can include “classic” psychedelics—like psilocybin, DMT, LSD and mescaline—as well as similar compounds such as MDMA. Cannabis and ketamine are not considered psychedelics for the purposes of the clinical trials.
A federally funded study in 2023 found that among US adults, cannabis and psychedelic use were both at “historic highs,” while teen marijuana use remained stable.
Photograph by RDNE Stock Project via Pexels
This story was originally published by Marijuana Moment, which tracks the politics and policy of cannabis and drugs. Follow Marijuana Moment on Twitter and Facebook, and sign up for its newsletter.