Older Americans are increasing their use of marijuana to a point where some geriatricians are warning about weed’s attendant health risks, with use by seniors over 65 surging nearly 46% from 2021 to 2023, according to recent findings.
The rapid adoption of state marijuana laws and commercialisation of cannabis helped drive much of the increase, but there are also changing social dynamics that make marijuana more acceptable for dealing with chronic pain, stress and other conditions, found the study, published in JAMA Internal Medicine.
What they found: 7% of adults 65 and older said they’d used cannabis in the past month in 2023, per data from the federally administered National Survey on Drug Use and Health analysed by researchers at University of California San Diego and NYU Grossman School of Medicine.
That’s an increase from 4.8% in 2021, and 5.2% in 2022, reports Axios.
The increase was more pronounced among women, though the percentage of senior men using the substance was still higher than women in 2023.
The most pronounced increase was among older adults with annual higher incomes, who went from having the lowest use among income categories in 2021 (4.2%) to the highest in 2023 (9.1%).
The data don’t distinguish between recreational and medical cannabis use, though increased prevalence was associated with several health conditions including hypertension, diabetes and COPD.
Changes to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health in 2020 prevent direct year-to-year comparisons of this new analysis to earlier periods, the study’s authors wrote.
Interfere
Geriatricians say more research and better patient and clinician education on marijuana use is needed to identify risks, for instance on how it can interfere with other drugs.
It can also impair the senses and cause accidents, an especially important consideration since US cannabis has much more THC than it did decades ago.
The findings show that better evidence is needed on the risks and benefits of marijuana use in older adults, three geriatricians wrote in an editor’s note published in JAMA alongside the study.
“As a geriatrician, I see more and more people interested in using cannabis for treating chronic health symptoms. But it can complicate the management of chronic diseases and be potentially harmful if patients are not educated on its use and potential risks,” said Benjamin Han, geriatrician and associate professor at the University of California San Diego.
Study details
Trends in Past-Month Cannabis Use Among Older Adults
Benjamin Han, Kevin Yang, Charles Cleland et al.
Published in JAMA Network Open on 2 June 2025
Abstract
With rising availability of cannabis, older adults have increased interest in cannabis for a range of chronic health conditions. Studies show an increase in past-year use of cannabis by adults aged 65 or older from less than 1.0% in 2005 to 4.2% in 2018. We estimated recent changes in current cannabis use among US adults aged 65 yor older and examined emerging socio-demographic and clinical characteristics among this population.
Methods
This cross-sectional study analysed adults aged 65 or older from the most recent cohorts (2021-2023) of the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), a representative survey of non-institutionalized individuals in the US. In 2020, NSDUH implemented methodological changes, preventing comparison of 2021 to 2023 data with data from earlier years. We estimated prevalence of current cannabis use (defined as past-month use ) across years.
To identify potential trends according to demographic characteristics, we further stratified analyses by self-reported sex, race and ethnicity, education, income, marital status, chronic diseases, tobacco, binge drinking, major depression, and emergency department use as well as whether participants resided in a state with legalised medical cannabis.
In logistic regression, linear associations between time and the log-odds of cannabis use were estimated; interaction terms allowed associations to vary across subgroups.
We used sample weights to account for the complex survey design, selection probability, non-response, and population distribution. New York University Langone Medical Centre Institutional Review Board deemed this study exempt from review and informed consent because de-identified data were used. Statistical analysis was performed with Stata SE 17 (StataCorp). The STROBE reporting guideline was followed.
Results
The study included 15 689 adults (54% female [weighted]). Prevalence of past-month cannabis use among older adults increased significantly from 4.8% (95% CI, 3.9%-5.9%) in 2021 to 7.0% (95% CI, 6.2%-8.0%) in 2023. Subgroup analyses revealed trends of increased prevalence in past-month cannabis use associated with several demographics, with the highest trend for increased use among older adults identifying as other race (1.6% in 2021; 7.4% in 2023). Increased prevalence was also observed among females, those of white race, those with a college or postgraduate degree, annual income of $75 000 or more, married status, and residence in a state with legalised medical cannabis. Additionally, increased prevalence in past-month cannabis use was associated with several conditions, particularly chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) (6.4% to 13.5%). Trends in increased prevalence were also associated with heart conditions, diabetes, hypertension, cancer, and two or more chronic medical conditions.
JAMA Internal Medicine article – Trends in Past-Month Cannabis Use Among Older Adults (Open access)
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Cannabis use poses cardiovascular risk – US study
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