As you may have heard, cannabis use among older adults is on the rise. More specifically, seniors are one of the fastest growing groups of cannabis users in the United States
As it turns out, many seniors have been consuming weed for decades, and new ones are joining in on the fun. Cannabis use among our parents and grandparents has quadrupled in the last eight years.
Study after study suggests that older adults use cannabis to remedy a variety of conditions such as sleep problems, pain, inflammation, and to activate their appetite.
But most consume because they still like to get high.
“Sure, I sleep better with cannabis and topical creams relieve knee pain, but that’s all new. I’ve been smoking weed for four decades and I see no reason to stop getting high,” said Cynthia P, recently retired. an emergency room nurse in Ohio, where recreational marijuana became legal last November.
Scientists and researchers are wisely taking an interest in this demographic of 77 million Baby Boomers, many of whom are healthy, economically stable and have no plans to leave anytime soon, so they say.
One particular study, which looked at marijuana use in adults between the ages of 60 and 88, found that whole cannabis does not impair cognition but rather the opposite. Older cannabis users, compared to non-users, had significantly greater neuronal communication between the cerebellum and hippocampus.
Why? Age-related changes in the endocannabinoid system (ECS) include a decrease in the number of cannabinoid receptors throughout the brain. The ECS, a significant aspect of our human physiology that helps maintain homeostasis, is a complex cellular signaling system in the brain and body that interacts with nearly every other system in our body.
What does it mean? During normal aging, the decline of cannabinoid receptors correlates with increased levels of inflammation in these brain regions, causing a loss of neurons in the hippocampus, which is critical for learning and memory. This, in short, explains age-related memory deterioration.
“Oh, I believe it,” Cynthia told Benzinga. “Even though I never used for a full shift before going to work, I’m convinced that marijuana has helped me and my mind keep sharp as I’ve gotten older. I’m not saying it’s for everyone, but for people in my class. generation there is nothing better.”
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