Marijuana use among older adults in the United States has reached a new high, with 7% of adults aged 65 and over who report using it in the past month, according to an analysis led by researchers with the Center for Drug Use and HIV/HCV Research (CDUHR) at the NYU School of Global Public Health. https://www.cduhr.org/
Their findings, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association Internal Medicine in June, also show that the profile of those who use cannabis has changed in recent years, with pronounced increases in use by older adults who are college-educated, married, female, and have higher incomes. http://bit.ly/43VybAi
Most Americans live in a state where marijuana has been legalized for medical use, recreational use, or both. To better understand the prevalence of marijuana use among older adults in the U.S., researchers examined data from the National Survey on Drug Use and health from 2021 through 2023. The respondents, who were 65 and older, were asked about past-month cannabis use, which was defined as "current" use.
Cannabis has been legal in Alaska for recreational use since 2015. The law allows the sale of cannabis at state-licensed dispensaries.
The researchers found that current cannabis use among older adults grew to 7% in 2023, up from 4.8% in 2021 and 5.2% in 2022-a nearly 46% increase in only two years.
