Cannabis Use Disorder Affects One In Nine Adults Over 65 Who Use Marijuana

Study Finds Cannabis Use Disorder Among Older Adults

A new study released Monday finds that more than one in nine people age 65 and older who use cannabis meet the criteria for cannabis use disorder. The study was published by the University of California San Diego School of Medicine.

Researchers analyzed data from the 2021-2024 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, which included surveys of 21,189 older adults. The survey found that an estimated 8.9% of senior citizens surveyed used cannabis in the past year.

Among those adults who used cannabis, 11.4% showed indications of cannabis use disorder. Roughly 74% of older adults reported spending time obtaining, using and recovering from the drug’s effects, while 67.5% said they craved cannabis.

Smoking remains the most common method of marijuana use among those aged 65 and older, according to the survey. It is followed by eating or drinking cannabis and vaping.

Just under 20% of older adults who used cannabis in the last 12 months said a doctor had recommended some or all of their marijuana use, according to the study.

Physicians Weigh Health Risks For Seniors

“That’s really alarming,” said Dr. Scott Hadland, an addiction physician at Mass General Brigham. “Cannabis, especially if it’s ingested … can potentially interact with medications that an individual might be on and may contribute to falls or to dizziness, particularly if somebody’s on other sedating medications.”

Hadland said that about two-thirds of older adults in the study had strong cravings to use cannabis. He said cravings can be really disruptive and unsettling for many people.

Hadland said that of all the people in the U.S. that use cannabis, one in three will develop cannabis use disorder. He said the prevalence of older adults using cannabis for medical reasons highlights the need for potential access to medical cannabis through legal routes.

Dr. Peter Grinspoon, an addiction specialist at Massachusetts General Hospital, said he believes rates of cannabis use disorder are increasing among senior citizens simply because more people are using cannabis. He said many seniors use cannabis with great benefit for disorders such as pain, anxiety, insomnia and weight loss.

Grinspoon said he thinks cannabis use disorder is overdiagnosed. He noted that a patient needs to meet two out of 11 criteria to be diagnosed with any substance use disorder.

Debate Over Diagnosis And Legalization

He said medical patients with tolerance and withdrawal meet two of the 11 criteria, which is enough for a cannabis use disorder diagnosis.

“It’s only because the medical field hasn’t decided definitively … that cannabis is a medicine,” Grinspoon said.

Hadland said he agrees with Grinspoon to some extent, but that some symptoms exhibited by older adults in the study can still be problematic.

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