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Namkee G Choi, Diana M Dinitto, Stephan Arndt, Potential Harms of Marijuana Use Among Older Adults, Public Policy & Aging Report, Volume 29, Issue 3, 2019, Pages 88–94, https://doi.org/10.1093/ppar/prz011
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Introduction
Marijuana acceptance and use among older adults are increasing. According to the National Survey of Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), between 2002 and 2017, prior-year marijuana use rates increased from 2.95% to 10.16% in the 50–64 age group and from 0.15% to 3.70% in the 65+ age group (Han et al., 2017; Salas-Wright et al., 2017; Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 2018). Medical marijuana use is more frequent among older than younger marijuana users (Choi, DiNitto, & Marti, 2017a; Fairman, 2016), reflecting older adults’ desire to better manage symptoms of aging-related health conditions (Kaskie, Ayyagari, Milavetz, Shane, & Arora, 2017). Explanations for older adults’ increased acceptance and use include the aging of the Baby Boomers—whose attitudes toward psychoactive drugs are more relaxed than those of their predecessors (Kaskie et al., 2017)—and the growing number of states with medical and recreational marijuana use laws. By early 2019, 33 U.S. states and the District of Columbia (DC) had legalized marijuana for medical use, and 10 U.S. states and DC had legalized it for recreational use (DISA Global Solutions, 2019).
