More Americans over the age of 50 are using cannabis now than before the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to a new study of people aged 50 to 80, 12% say they've consumed a THC-containing substance in the past year and 4% say they do so multiple times a week.
The findings, published in the journal Cannabis and Cannabinoids Research by a team from the University of Michigan's Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation, indicate that legal access to and attitudes toward cannabis are changing rapidly -- but that's also a concern for doctors.
"As the stress of the pandemic and the increased legalization of cannabis by states converged, our findings suggest cannabis use increased among older adults nationally. Older adults represent a vulnerable age group for cannabis use due to interactions with medications, risky driving, cannabis-related mental health impacts and increased possibility of falls and memory issues," lead author Anne Fernandez, an addiction psychologist in the U-M Addiction Center and Department of Psychiatry, said in a statement.
The study analyzed data from the National Poll on Healthy Aging, a survey of 2,023 older adults taken in January 2021 -- nine months into the official pandemic declaration and just as the first COVID-19 vaccines were being made available to the groups at the highest risk.
Researchers say the 12% overall past-year use of cannabis seen in the study is higher than the 9.5% seen in 2019 by other researchers pre-pandemic, and far higher than the 3% seen in another study in 2006, when only 12 states had passed medical cannabis laws.
In addition to the 4% who said they use cannabis products four or more times a week, another 5% said they use cannabis once a month or less. Older adults who said they were unemployed, those who said they were unmarried and had no partner, and those who said they drank alcohol were more likely to say they used cannabis, the poll noted.
This group of dual-substance users is one that doctors and public health officials should pay special attention to, Fernandez said.
"Other research has shown that using both alcohol and cannabis increases the chance that a person will drive while impaired," she explained. "They are also more likely to have physical and mental health issues, including substance use disorders. Screening for alcohol use, cannabis use, and other drug use could help more people get counseling and reduce their risk and risk to others."
The poll question asked about use of any product containing THC, the main psychoactive component of cannabis -- including edibles -- and used multiple common names for cannabis. It did not differentiate between medical and recreational use of cannabis.
The researchers suggest any older adult who uses cannabis products for any reason to be open with their health care provider about it, especially if they also drink alcohol or take certain medications. They also recommend that clinicians and policymakers monitor and address the potential risks among older adults.
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