Cannabis Use Rises Among U.S. Older Adults

 As it should per research!

This: 

Pot Smoking Baby Boomers Are On The Rise, Why Are Scientists So Happy For Them? Hint: Benefits For The Aging Brain

And this for your doctor to explain:

The Experiments Revealing How Marijuana Could Treat Dementia

The latest here:

Cannabis Use Rises Among U.S. Older Adults

Prevalence of past-month cannabis use climbed to 7%

by Shannon Firth, Washington Correspondent, MedPage Today June 2, 2025 • 3 min read

Key Takeaways

• The prevalence of current cannabis use increased among older U.S. adults from 2021 to 2023.
• Older adults may be susceptible to the adverse effects of cannabis, which may require acute medical care.
• Increased prevalence of cannabis use was associated with several conditions, particularly COPD.

The prevalence of cannabis use rose among older adults across the country, with notable increases for certain subgroups, according to a cross-sectional study.

Among nearly 15,700 adults ages 65 and older, the prevalence of past-month cannabis use rose from 4.8% in 2021 to 7% in 2023 (OR 1.23, 95% CI 1.08-1.41), reported Benjamin Han, MD, of the University of California San Diego School of Medicine, and co-authors in a JAMA Internal Medicineopens in a new tab or window research letter.

"Given physiological changes and chronic diseases, older adults are susceptible to adverse effects of cannabis, which may require acute medical care," they wrote. "Clinicians should consider screening and educating older patients about potential risks of cannabis use."(But what about the benefits? Stop just reporting negative stuff about marijuana!)

Older adults who identified as "other" race had the highest trend for increased use, jumping from 1.6% in 2021 to 7.4% in 2023 (OR 2.26, 95% CI 1.12-4.59).

Other demographic subgroups that had increased use from 2021 to 2023 included:

• White adults: 5.1% to 7%
• Women: 3.2% to 5.3%
• Those with a college or postgraduate degree: 4.9% to 8.3%
• Those with an annual income ≥$75,000: 4.2% to 9.1%
• Married adults: 3.8% to 7.4%
• Those living in a state with legalized medical cannabis: 5.4% to 7.9%

"Adults with the highest incomes initially had the lowest prevalence of cannabis use vs other income levels, but by 2023, they had the highest prevalence, which may indicate better access to medical cannabis given its costs," Han and team noted.

They also observed a rise in use tied to certain medical conditions, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (6.4% to 13.5%), heart conditions (2.8% to 6.5%), diabetes (2.9% to 6.2%), hypertension (4% to 6.6%), and cancer (2.5% to 7.7%), as well as in those with two or more chronic diseases (3.5% to 8.2%).

"The use of cannabis products, especially with psychoactive properties, may complicate chronic disease management among older adults," the authors wrote. "While more older adults are currently using cannabis, evidence to support its medical use in this population remains mixed."

This study builds upon the authors' previous research, which showed that the prevalence of past-year cannabis use among older adults in the U.S. grew from less than 1.0% in 2005 to 4.2% in 2018opens in a new tab or window. Recent research also linked marijuana legalization in Canada to a tripling of emergency department visits for older adults.

In an accompanying editor's note, Nathan Stall, MD, PhD, of the University of Toronto and Mount Sinai Hospital, and co-authors characterized "existing therapeutic evidence for medical cannabis" in this population as "inconsistent across several conditions, with many studies suggesting possible benefits, while others finding limited benefit."

"The potential harms of cannabis use in older adults are apparent, with increased risks of cardiovascular, respiratory, and gastrointestinal conditions, stroke, sedation, cognitive impairment, falls, motor vehicle injuries, drug-drug interactions, and psychiatric disorders," they wrote.

However, they encouraged healthcare professionals to engage in "open and judgment-free conversations," including methods for taking cannabis and age-specific dosing guidance.

"Clinicians can also help older adults weigh the benefits and risks of cannabis by reviewing their health conditions and medications and how they could interact with cannabis," Stall and co-authors noted, adding that more "high-quality evidence" of the risk-benefit ratio is needed in this population.

Han and colleagues used data from the 2021-2023 cohorts of the National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Due to changes to the survey's methodology in 2020, the 2021-2023 data could not be compared with data from prior years.

The study population included 15,689 adults ages 65 and older (54% women). The authors stratified the study sample by self-reported sex, race and ethnicity, education, income, marital status, chronic diseases, tobacco, binge drinking, major depression, and emergency department use, and also factored in whether individuals lived in a state with legalized medical cannabis.

The analysis did not capture the range of cannabis use, including frequency, recreational versus medical use, or cannabinoid type, which was a limitation to the study, the researchers acknowledged.

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  Shannon Firth has been reporting on health policy as MedPage Today's Washington correspondent since 2014. She is also a member of the site's Enterprise & Investigative Reporting team. Follow

Disclosures

This research was supported by grants through the National Institute on Drug Abuse, and in part by the Stein Institute for Research on Aging at the University of California San Diego.

Han reported no disclosures. Co-authors reported relationships with the NIH, the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the Washington-Baltimore High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Program, Rutgers University, the University of Southern California, Arizona State University, the University of Queensland, Elsevier, the University of Florida, the Reagan-Udall Foundation for the FDA, and the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology.

Stall reported no disclosures. Co-authors reported relationships with the National Institute on Aging, the CDC, Veterans Affairs, and NanoVibronix.

Primary Source

JAMA Internal Medicine

Source Reference: Han BH, et al "Trends in past-month cannabis use among older adults" JAMA Intern Med 2025; DOI: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2025.1156.

Secondary Source

JAMA Internal Medicine

Source Reference: Stall NM, et al "Ensuring older adults using cannabis are not left high and dry" JAMA Intern Med 2025; DOI: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2025.1120.