Cannabis use among Americans over 65 is rising quickly, and Stanford Medicine specialists say many older adults may be underestimating how much the drug has changed and what risks it now carries, according to Science Daily.
Eloise Theisen, a geriatric nurse practitioner focused on cannabis therapy at Stanford Medicine, came to the specialty through personal experience. After a severe car accident left her with chronic pain that other treatments failed to relieve, she turned to cannabis herself. When she later returned to work in an oncology clinic, she noticed that many patients were already using it or thinking about doing so, often without any guidance from their doctors.
"I found that our patients were going to use it whether their providers approved of it or not," Theisen said. "Many of our patients were older, and they had risks that needed to be evaluated and addressed before they started using cannabis."
According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 7 percent of adults over 65 reported recent cannabis use in 2023, compared with less than 5 percent in 2021. Medical marijuana is currently legal in 40 states and the District of Columbia, while recreational cannabis is legal in 24 states and D.C. Despite that broad legal access, researchers still face significant gaps in knowledge about how cannabis affects older bodies and brains, in part because marijuana remains federally illegal, which limits some types of scientific study.
Smita Das, MD, PhD, clinical associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Stanford Medicine, noted that there is still no broad medical agreement that cannabis effectively treats the conditions many older adults hope it will help, including chronic pain, insomnia, and anxiety.
Stanford Medicine specialists identified five areas of concern for older adults using cannabis. Today's marijuana products are far more potent than the versions many people may have encountered decades ago, increasing the risk of accidental overuse. The drug can also raise the chances of heart problems and certain cancers. Cognitive issues, including memory problems, are another documented risk. Falls are a particular danger for older users, whose balance and reaction times may already be affected by age or other medications. The fifth concern is the potential for dangerous interactions with prescription drugs, which older adults are more likely to be taking in greater numbers.
Addiction is also a recognized risk. Although regular cannabis use among seniors remains relatively uncommon compared to younger age groups, the rapid increase in use among older adults makes the warning relevant to a growing number of people.
The Stanford specialists did not recommend that older adults avoid cannabis entirely, but they emphasized that the risks deserve serious evaluation before starting use, particularly given the significant increase in potency of modern products compared to what many in that generation may remember.
