Older Canadian Cannabis Users Want More Information From Healthcare Providers | Research

The takeaway

In focus groups with 72 Canadians aged 60+, older adults reported therapeutic benefits from cannabis but expressed concerns about side effects, drug interactions, and a lack of guidance from healthcare providers.

Older adults using or considering cannabis, geriatricians, pharmacists, healthcare policy makers.

72 adults aged 60+ across 5 Canadian regions

What the researchers found

Five themes emerged from 10 focus groups with 72 participants: common practices (primarily edibles and inhalation), general knowledge gaps, perceived harms (physical and cognitive effects, drug interactions), perceived benefits (pain management, mental health), and decreased stigma following legalization. Both frequent and infrequent users noted therapeutic benefits but expressed concerns about medication interactions and lack of trustworthy information sources.

Why it matters

Cannabis use among older Canadians has risen faster than any other age group since legalization. This population has specific risks, including medication interactions and cognitive effects, yet they report that healthcare providers are unable or unwilling to provide guidance, leaving them to navigate cannabis use largely on their own.

The numbers in context

72 participants aged 60+. 10 focus groups. 5 Canadian regions. Primary methods: edibles and inhalation. Top benefits: pain, mental health. Top concerns: side effects, drug interactions, information gaps.

How the study worked

Ten online focus groups with 72 participants aged 60+ across five Canadian regions, segmented by cannabis use frequency. Open-ended questions explored consumption methods, motivations, risk/benefit perceptions, and legalization effects. Thematic analysis of transcribed recordings.

What this study cannot tell us

Qualitative design with 72 participants. Self-selected sample may overrepresent engaged users. Focus group dynamics may influence responses. Canadian context may not generalize to other countries. Did not assess actual health outcomes.

How to read the evidence

Preliminary: qualitative focus group study providing rich consumer insights but not population-level data.

When this study was published

2025 study

The bigger picture

The post-legalization landscape has left older adults in a knowledge vacuum. They have legal access to cannabis and are using it therapeutically, but the healthcare system has not adapted to provide the guidance this population needs, particularly around medication interactions.

Questions still open

How can healthcare providers be better equipped to counsel older adults about cannabis? What drug interactions should older cannabis users be most concerned about? Would structured education programs improve safety outcomes for older users?

Common questions

Are older adults using cannabis more since legalization?

Yes. Cannabis use among Canadians aged 60+ has risen faster than any other age group since legalization, with participants reporting both therapeutic and recreational use, primarily through edibles and inhalation.

What worries older cannabis users most?

Drug interactions with existing medications and cognitive side effects were top concerns. Participants also reported frustration that their healthcare providers could not offer informed guidance about cannabis use.

Read the original research

Perceptions of cannabis among adults aged 60 years and older in Canada: a qualitative study.

Health promotion and chronic disease prevention in Canada : research, policy and practice, 45(10), 395-406

View on PubMed ↗Publisher’s paper ↗

Citation

Renard, Justine; Panesar, Balpreet; Noorbakhsh, Sima; Wadsworth, Elle; Cristiano, Nick; Gabrys, Robert. (2025). Perceptions of cannabis among adults aged 60 years and older in Canada: a qualitative study.. Health promotion and chronic disease prevention in Canada : research, policy and practice, 45(10), 395-406. https://doi.org/10.24095/hpcdp.45.10.01