Cannabis Use Among Older Americans: Public Health Concern or Useful Alternative?
Cannabis use among Americans 65+ is rising through both recreational and medical pathways, and cannabis may serve as a safer alternative to opioids for pain management in aging populations.
Quick Facts
What This Study Found
This essay examined the intersection of cannabis and aging in America, identifying multiple pathways through which older adults are increasingly using cannabis.
Some older adults are responding to changing social and legal environments and using cannabis recreationally. Others are turning to cannabis for age-related health conditions, sometimes on a doctor's recommendation. Whether these recreational and medical pathways are separate or interconnected remains unclear.
The authors identified two particularly compelling policy arguments for cannabis among older adults. First, cannabis may serve as a substitute for prescription opioids and other commonly misused medications, potentially reducing harm. Second, cannabis has emerged as an option for the widespread undertreatment of pain at end of life.
However, the authors emphasized that these policy alternatives require empirically driven, representative research before they can be responsibly implemented.
Key Numbers
The essay references the growing population of Americans aged 65+ but does not report original quantitative data.
How They Did This
Essay reviewing trends in cannabis use among Americans aged 65+, applying the age-period-cohort paradigm to explain varied pathways to cannabis use. The authors considered both public health risks and policy alternatives.
Why This Research Matters
The aging population is the fastest-growing demographic of cannabis users, yet has received the least research attention. Understanding their motivations, patterns, and outcomes is essential as more states legalize cannabis and more older adults consider it for pain, sleep, and other age-related conditions.
The Bigger Picture
This essay frames cannabis among older adults not merely as a substance use concern but as a potential policy tool. The opioid substitution argument is particularly timely given the ongoing opioid crisis, which disproportionately affects older adults who are prescribed pain medications at high rates.
What This Study Doesn't Tell Us
This is an essay/commentary rather than a systematic review or original research. It does not present new data and relies on existing literature that the authors acknowledge is insufficient for the older adult population.
Questions This Raises
- ?Does cannabis actually reduce opioid use among older adults, or do they end up using both?
- ?What are the fall risks and cognitive effects of cannabis use in populations already at risk for both?
- ?Could standardized medical cannabis programs for older adults improve pain management outcomes?
Trust & Context
- Key Stat:
- Cannabis may serve as a safer substitute for prescription opioids in aging populations
- Evidence Grade:
- Policy essay drawing on existing literature. Moderate because it presents well-reasoned arguments but no original data.
- Study Age:
- Published in 2017.
- Original Title:
- The Increasing Use of Cannabis Among Older Americans: A Public Health Crisis or Viable Policy Alternative?
- Published In:
- The Gerontologist, 57(6), 1166-1172 (2017)
- Authors:
- Kaskie, Brian(3), Ayyagari, Padmaja, Milavetz, Gary(11), Shane, Dan, Arora, Kanika
- Database ID:
- RTHC-01414
Evidence Hierarchy
Summarizes existing research on a topic.
What do these levels mean? →Frequently Asked Questions
Why are more older adults using cannabis?
Multiple pathways are driving this trend: changing social attitudes, legalization, medical recommendations for age-related conditions, and the search for alternatives to prescription medications including opioids.
Is cannabis safe for older adults?
This essay acknowledges both potential benefits (opioid substitution, pain management) and risks (misuse, abuse). The authors call for representative research specifically on older adult populations before policy conclusions can be drawn.
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Cite This Study
https://rethinkthc.com/research/RTHC-01414APA
Kaskie, Brian; Ayyagari, Padmaja; Milavetz, Gary; Shane, Dan; Arora, Kanika. (2017). The Increasing Use of Cannabis Among Older Americans: A Public Health Crisis or Viable Policy Alternative?. The Gerontologist, 57(6), 1166-1172. https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/gnw166
MLA
Kaskie, Brian, et al. "The Increasing Use of Cannabis Among Older Americans: A Public Health Crisis or Viable Policy Alternative?." The Gerontologist, 2017. https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/gnw166
RethinkTHC
RethinkTHC Research Database. "The Increasing Use of Cannabis Among Older Americans: A Publ..." RTHC-01414. Retrieved from https://rethinkthc.com/research/kaskie-2017-the-increasing-use-of
Access the Original Study
Study data sourced from PubMed, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health.
This study breakdown was produced by the RethinkTHC research team. We analyze and report published research findings without making health recommendations. All interpretations are based solely on the published abstract and study data.