WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Marijuana use among older adults in the U.S. is increasing, according to research led by the Center for Drug Use and HIV/HCV Research at NYU's School of Global Public Health.
The study, published in JAMA Internal Medicine, used data from a national survey. It found that marijuana use in older adults went up from 4.8 percent in 2021 to 5.2 percent in 2022, and then to 7 percent in 2023.
Between 2021 and 2023, marijuana use in this age group rose by nearly 46 percent, according to researchers from NYU and UC San Diego.
Notably, the older adults reported using marijuana were more likely to have health conditions like high blood pressure, diabetes, cancer, or chronic lung disease (COPD).
People were also more likely to use marijuana if they had a college or higher degree, made over $75,000 a year, were married, or lived in a state where medical marijuana is legal.
The researchers also found that part of the increase may simply be because people who already used marijuana are now moving into the 65 plus age group.
'My worry is that some of these people may have adverse psychiatric reactions, especially if they use edibles,' senior author Joseph Palamar told to Fox News Digital. 'It's very easy to accidentally eat too much, and then there's no turning back once it's already ingested.'
The authors recommend that doctors should talk to older patients about marijuana, since aging can make people more sensitive to its effects.
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