Study: More Seniors Using Cannabis to Treat Common Ailments

A recent study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society found that 61 percent of participants – all 65-and-older – started using cannabis after age 60 with 53 percent of the 568 surveyed saying they used cannabis on a daily or weekly basis.

The majority – 78 percent – said they used cannabis exclusively for medical purposes. Pain and arthritis were the most common conditions respondents were using cannabis to treat (73 percent), followed by sleep disturbance (29 percent), anxiety (24 percent), and depression (17 percent). About half of those surveyed obtain their cannabis in dispensaries, with lotions (35 percent), tinctures (35 percent), and smoking (30 percent) being the most common administration forms.

Nearly all (94 percent) of respondents said their family knows about their cannabis use, with about half saying their friends knew, but just 41 percent said their healthcare provider knew.