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.
Read this if you are an older adult considering cannabis or if you care for aging family members who use or are curious about cannabis.
Cannabis may serve as a safer substitute for prescription opioids in aging populations
What the researchers 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.
Why it 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 numbers in context
The essay references the growing population of Americans aged 65+ but does not report original quantitative data.
How the study worked
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.
What this study cannot 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.
How to read the evidence
Policy essay drawing on existing literature. Moderate because it presents well-reasoned arguments but no original data.
When this study was published
Published in 2017.
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.
Questions still open
- 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?
Common questions
Why are more older adults using cannabis?
Is cannabis safe for older adults?
Read the original research
The Increasing Use of Cannabis Among Older Americans: A Public Health Crisis or Viable Policy Alternative?
The Gerontologist, 57(6), 1166-1172
Citation
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
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