A federal study by The Centre for Disease Control and Prevention examines the consumption of cannabis products among older citizens

Baby Boomers Go Back to the Bong

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The Medicare prescriptions for conventional drugs, particularly painkillers, have decreased significantly in states where the use of medical marijuana has been legalised

For medical purposes, marijuana has been legalized in the United States and is mainly used by middle-aged parents

Increased Marijuana use amongst Middle-Aged Parents

A federal study by The Centre for Disease Control and Prevention has revealed some very interesting findings about the use of cannabis products amongst our more senior citizens. Although cannabis usage has declined amongst youngsters, (just 7.4% of 12 to 17 year olds admit regular use) across the country, there has been an unprecedented increase in the use of cannabis and its by-products amongst the over 45 year old age group.
The study reveals a whopping 50% increase in the 45 to 54 age group, 455% in the 55 to 64 group and 333% in over 64’s. What the researchers did was to compare the decrease in conventional commercial medication prescriptions in states that have legalised marijuana, (25 states and DC), and what they found was quite startling.
The Medicare prescriptions for conventional drugs, particularly painkillers, have decreased significantly in states where the use of medical marijuana has been legalised. It appears that, more and more, people in the 45 to 60 year old age group are turning to medical marijuana to relieve the symptoms of pain, nausea, appetite loss and anxiety. More often than not these symptoms are as a result of more conventional treatments, or the side effects thereof, such as chemotherapy. There appears to be a greater openness and willingness to seek out alternative remedies and therapies.

Why is This Happening

This is not so strange when you consider that the people in that age group were raised in the turmoil of the sixties and seventies, with the attendant awareness of the counter-culture, with its drugs, sex and rock & roll.
These people, who were in support of legalisation in the 70’s, became more conservative as they grew older and accepted responsibilities, and support for legalisation plummeted, particularly as a result of the tremendous anti-marijuana drive by the Big Pharma lobby group; but now in their twilight years, they are more than eager to return to their alternative roots, and are even prepared to contemplate marijuana for recreational use.
It is almost a feeling of “Oh what the hell, I’ve got nothing to lose”, and from anecdotal surveys, most of these sufferers have been more than pleasantly surprised by the relief from their ailments provided by cannabis, without the side effects of the conventional offerings of the pharmaceutical conglomerates.
It is abundantly clear from the survey that the use of marijuana, is increasing in the over 45 age group, as middle-aged people turn to alternative therapies to relieve the common symptoms of aging.