The number of seniors being treated for cannabis-related health issues has surged over the past five years, with rates twice as high in areas where the drug is legal.
Researchers from the FDA and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services analyzed insurance claims of 56million Americans in about two dozen states enrolled in Medicare – national insurance for people 65 and older.
They found hospital and doctors visits for any kind of weed-related healthcare issue increased between 2017 and 2022 regardless of the drug’s legal status across the United States.
However, rates were approximately twice as high in states where marijuana is legal for both recreational adult and medical use.
The researchers said their data suggest that increasing rates of healthcare for marijuana-related disorders among older adults might be associated with the type of cannabis legalization.
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In states where pot is illegal, healthcare visits among Americans 65 and older was approximately 28 per 10,000 people on Medicare.
In states where it is legal for medical purposes, the rate of hospital and doctors visits was 41.5 per 10,000 people and in states where both recreational and medical use is legal, the rate was 45 per 10,000 Medicare beneficiaries.
Rates were greatest for nonemergency hospital visits across all states, such as outpatient and inpatient medical treatments.
A similar Canadian study published earlier this year found after the country legalized the drug, the number of emergency room visits in people over 65 years old for marijuana poisoning rose sharply.
The results showed poisonings doubled after Canada legalized sale of the cannabis flower and tripled 15 months later when edibles were legalized.
The researchers said the seniors were using the drug intentionally, though some did consume marijuana by accident.
A separate study found symptoms of weed poisoning in the elderly include dizziness, confusion, nausea, loss of coordination and balance, fatigue and hallucinations.
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services estimated in 2022 that eight percent of people 65 and older reported using pot within the previous year – an increase from three percent in 2016.
In the United States, marijuana is fully legal – for recreational and medicinal use – in 29 states. It is fully illegal in four states.
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services estimated in 2022 that eight percent of people 65 and older reported using pot within the previous year
Laws in the remaining states are mixed, meaning the drug may be permitted for medicinal use, allowed only in the form of CBD oil, be decriminalized or be a combination of these.
Decriminalization of marijuana means there are reduced penalties for cannabis-related offenses. In some states, possessing weed under certain amounts, which vary state-to-state, may be treated more like a traffic offense.
Penalties could include fines but will not result in an arrest, prison time or a criminal record for a first-time possession of a small amount for personal consumption.
Regardless of state law, a Real Estate Witch and Leafly report published in April found approximately 62 percent of Americans have tried marijuana. Fifty-five percent support legalization of the drug and one-third would prefer to use cannabis than drink alcohol.
Support for legalization was highest in the Midwest at 61 percent and lowest in the South at 44 percent.
A separate September 2023 Gallup poll, however, found 70 percent of Americans believe the drug should be legal – a new nationwide high.
Cannabis advocates say the drug has health and social benefits and that making it illegal does little to stop consumption and only leads to high levels of pointless incarcerations, often of young black men.
Despite the widespread support, 23 percent of Americans still oppose legalization, with cannabis opponents arguing widespread use leads to higher rates of mental health problems, substance abuse — especially among teens and young adults — and more stoned drivers on the roads, causing car crashes.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]