Seniors are one of the fastest-growing populations of cannabis users in the United States. While some older adults have used pot for decades, studies suggest that others are turning to the drug for the first time to help them sleep better, dampen pain or treat anxiety especially when prescription drugs, which often come with unwanted side effects, don't work as intended.
Nancy Herring, 76, has been using cannabis recreationally for her entire adult life she describes herself as one of the hippies from the '60s. But it wasn't until her husband was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease and dementia two years ago that she began to wonder about pot's medicinal use. During the course of his illness, her husband, now 79, had developed insomnia. Soon, neither of them was sleeping. Doctors prescribed pills to help him rest, but nothing really worked, she said. At one point, he reacted so negatively to a medicine he ended up in the hospital. Then they tried an indica strain from a dispensary near where they live in Clearwater, Fla. Now, after one gummy and a hit on a pipe, her husband can sleep at night, which is a huge thing, she said. Marijuana's medicinal properties have not been well studied, particularly among older users, making it difficult for doctors to counsel their patients on the benefits and risks.
Meanwhile, as more seniors experiment with cannabis, they are evangelizing to one another about its benefits, and sharing the problems they've encountered along the way. People are just desperate, said Dr. Aaron Greenstein, a geriatric psychiatrist.
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