An American Heart Association study has found that daily marijuana use is linked to a significantly higher risk of heart attack and stroke. And the increased danger exists whether users smoke, vape or eat their cannabis products.
San Diego, California – As America’s largest generation ages into retirement, many baby boomers are embracing a surprising shift: trying cannabis for the first time. Once the demographic most opposed to marijuana legalization, boomers are now experimenting with the plant, hoping it can ease chronic pain and other ailments that come with growing older.
A new study from the UC San Diego School of Medicine, published June 2 in JAMA Internal Medicine, highlights the rapid change. Among adults aged 65 and older, cannabis use climbed from just 0.4% in 2005 to 7.4% in 2023. Researchers found particularly strong increases among women, those who are married, college-educated, and financially stable.
Dr. Benjamin Han, a geriatrician and lead author of the study, said the shift is partly due to the steady wave of cannabis legalization across the country. But there’s more behind it than just legality. “There’s been a lot of interest in cannabis to treat chronic symptoms, chronic diseases, especially among older adults,” Han said.
At Tradecraft Farms dispensary in Vista, Angel Navarro sees that trend up close. Many of his customers, he said, are first-time users searching for pain relief after finding traditional pharmaceuticals intolerable. One customer explained to Navarro that opioids left her feeling like she was “not living anymore,” so she turned to cannabis instead.
Navarro hears these stories often, with many older patrons expressing fear about cannabis’s lingering stigma. “They’ll come in and say, ‘I don’t want to smell like weed. I don’t want to be reeking of it,’” he explained. For those unfamiliar with modern cannabis products, Navarro tries to guide them through alternatives such as low-dose edibles, drinks, or tablets.
The surge in senior cannabis use does bring risks, according to Han. Many older adults take multiple medications that could interact unpredictably with cannabis. There is also the heightened sensitivity of aging brains to psychoactive compounds like THC, the molecule responsible for marijuana’s intoxicating effects.
“I often see patients who experience dizziness or lightheadedness after using THC,” Han noted. In some cases, he has treated seniors who suffered falls after experimenting with cannabis, a serious safety concern.
Despite those risks, the generational change is striking. The same group who lived through decades of anti-marijuana messaging, from “Reefer Madness” to the “Just Say No” campaigns, is now sampling the very drug they once shunned. Still, the social stigma lingers. Several older adults declined to speak publicly for this story, worried their families or neighbors might judge them.
Han encourages seniors to discuss cannabis use with their physicians, even if those conversations are uncomfortable. As baby boomers continue to explore new ways to manage pain and chronic illness, their willingness to reconsider cannabis suggests an openness to relief that defies old stereotypes.
