Baby Boomers Going to Pot

Child Boomers Going to Pot

Newest Senior Well being Information

TUESDAY, Dec. 6, 2016 (HealthDay Information) -- Extra older Individuals are rolling joints or firing up their bongs, a brand new research on marijuana use finds.

"Given the unprecedented growing older of the U.S. inhabitants, we face a by no means earlier than seen cohort of older adults who use leisure medicine," stated Dr. Benjamin Han. He's a geriatrician and well being providers researcher on the Middle for Drug Use and HIV Analysis (CDUHR) at NYU Langone Medical Middle in New York Metropolis.

"Older folks might use marijuana for quite a lot of causes -- together with medical causes -- nonetheless we want to ensure they aren't utilizing it in a hazardous method, since older adults could also be weak to its potential adversarial results," Han stated in a college information launch.

"One explicit concern for older customers is the chance of falls whereas utilizing marijuana. Nonetheless, this has not but been studied," he famous.

Within the new research, researchers reviewed data from greater than 47,000 adults 50 and older. The nationwide statistics had been collected between 2006 and 2013. The investigators discovered that for folks over 50, the usage of marijuana rose 71 p.c throughout that point.

Though seniors over 65 had a lot decrease use charges than these aged 50 to 64, their fee of use rose 2.5 instances over eight years, the research revealed.

The findings additionally indicated that marijuana use was larger amongst males than amongst girls.

Solely 5 p.c of adults aged 50 and older felt that utilizing marijuana a few times every week was a menace to their well being, the research authors reported.

"With the elevated availability of legalized marijuana, there may be an pressing want to know the prevalence of its use and in addition its results amongst older generations," Han stated.

Research researcher Joseph Palamar stated that "for years we have been fearful in regards to the potential results of marijuana on the creating brains of teenagers, however now we might have a bit extra give attention to their grandparents, who're more and more extra more likely to be present customers."

Palamar is a CDUHR-affiliated researcher and an assistant professor of inhabitants well being on the medical middle.

"Personally, I do not suppose we must be very alarmed about most older people who find themselves utilizing marijuana, as our outcomes recommend that solely four p.c began use after age 35," he stated.

"It's possible that the majority older customers are not less than considerably skilled and are hopefully at moderately low threat of harming themselves or others after use," Palamar added.

Nonetheless, the researchers stated their findings spotlight the necessity for additional analysis on marijuana use and its results on older adults. The research additionally dispels the parable that older adults do not use leisure medicine and exhibits the necessity for marijuana use inquiries to be a part of older adults' care plan screenings, the researchers stated.

Findings from the research had been printed on-line Dec. 5 within the journal Dependancy.

-- Robert Preidt

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SOURCE: New York College, information launch, Dec. 5, 2016