Image Source: CULTUREOFAWARENESS
For older
adults exploring the new world of medical marijuana, age 65 seems to
be a tipping point. Those under that age use the drug for medical
purposes at largely the rates of other adults. Usage among people
over 65 appears to drop significantly, though, perhaps because of the
culture in which they came of age.
That’s the
conclusion based on emerging data from this rapidly growing, but
little-studied area of medicine. Today, half of the states now allow
medical marijuana in some form and there are an estimated 1 million
people using it.
In states
that keep track of such demographics, medical marijuana usage drops
around age 65 and decreases even more at age 70 and above. Those who
work in the medical marijuana field say they aren’t surprised. But
they think those numbers will change with the growing acceptance of
medical marijuana in the country.
“Sixty-five
and over is my age group,” said Sue Taylor, 69, who is set to open
next year the nation’s first medical marijuana dispensary aimed at
older patients, in Berkeley, Calif . “Most of them are afraid and
won’t touch it. The reason is that they haven’t been educated
about the benefits.”
A former
Catholic school principal, Taylor has traveled extensively giving
talks about the benefits of medical marijuana for older adults.
Reducing dependence on prescription drugs is a big selling point, she
said.
She also
stresses that users don’t have to smoke the marijuana and that
there isn’t a high associated with many forms of medical marijuana.
Still, she said, reluctance is significant and many older Americans
associate it with street drugs.
Older
Patients Less Likely to Try Medical Marijuana
The limited
research on the issue confirms that reluctance. A 2012 study by
Public Health Institute researchers looked at California residents’
use of medical marijuana and showed that about 5 percent of those
between 25 and 65 had tried it, but the number dropped to 2.2 percent
for those over 65.
Similar usage
rates are seen in Oregon, one of the few states that publicly
releases age demographics in its medical marijuana program. When its
figures are combined with Census estimates, this shows that about 3.2
percent of residents age 55 to 64 participate in the program. But
that rate drops to 2.4 percent for those from 65 to 69 and to 1.4
percent for those from 70 to 74.
A large
federal survey showed that there was a significant difference in
attitudes about drug use for those born around 1950. In 2012, less
than 20 percent of those born before 1948 had ever used marijuana or
other illicit drugs. The number approached 48 percent for those born
between 1948 and 1952 and went above 50 percent for those born after
1952.
“This
cohort, particularly those born after 1950, had much higher rates of
illicit drug use as teenagers and young adults than older cohorts.
This generational shift in drug use is still evident in the most
recent data,” the federal researchers said.
Advocates:
Opinions Changing Fast
Medical
marijuana advocates acknowledge that age may be an issue now, but
they said things are changing fast. More states are approving
programs. More people are signing up. And, as the industry matures,
so will its ability to find new underserved markets.
“The
jury is still out in terms of what industry-wide statistics will show
as this becomes more established,” said Taylor West, deputy
director of the National Cannabis Industry Association. “Reducing
the stigma will be a strong factor for people over the age of 65.”
Medical
marijuana for older patients is an issue that researchers say begs
more study. With less muscle mass and decreasing liver and kidney
function, older people metabolize drugs differently than younger
ones. Potential side effects of sedation or lightheadedness may be a
mere distraction in a younger but could lead to
bone-breaking falls for those who are older.
‘The
Marijuana Saved Her Life’
Still, many
of those who have tried medical marijuana offer compelling stories.
California
resident Tyson, 87, offered the story of her sister, Julia
Long, who was dying several years ago. Fighting lymphoma of the
intestines, Long, who is eight years old than Tyson, was undergoing
chemotherapy and radiation. She was not eating and lost 50 pounds.
Tyson had
lived in the San Francisco area during the destructive height of
HIV/AIDS and knew marijuana might help Long. She bought some off the
street and came home and improvised a marijuana-infused tea because
her sister did not smoke.
That first
time, Long took three or four swallows of the tea. Nothing occurred
right away. But within 30 minutes, she said she was hungry. It was
the beginning of a remarkable turnaround, Tyson said. With the
medical marijuana, her sister’s appetite returned, she gained
weight and her strength improved.
Today, Long’s
cancer is in remission.
“It
didn’t cure her, but it did make her eat. The marijuana saved her
life because it made her eat,” said Tyson, a mother of five and a
retired postal worker. “If you cannot eat, you cannot live.”
Tyson says
her age group does have definite concerns about drug use that may
slow its acceptance of medical marijuana.
“Older
people have a lot of problems with our thoughts about marijuana. We
equate it with other bad drugs like hashish, and crack,”
she said. “That generation is just coming around to the notion that
marijuana is OK.”
Willingness
to Try
Retired
professor and Montana lawmaker Bob Ream, 80, tried medical marijuana
this summer following his diagnosis of stage four pancreatic cancer.
Ream said some people his age may be unwilling to try medical
marijuana, but he sees no reluctance among his fellow patients in the
“chemo room.”
For him,
sleep was the main issue. One time after his diagnosis, he went three
days without sleep. He initially tried smoking medical marijuana, but
then switched to the pill version. Combined with other medications
prescribed by his doctor, Ream believes the medical marijuana has
helped. “It’s been very important. When I have a good sleep, I
have a good day,” he said.
Story
Source: The above story is based on materials provided by HUFFINGTONPOST
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