The "Seniors Pick Pot Over Pills?" Story

It was an ordinary day.  And...before I go to far into my story...I should tell you that I am classified as a Senior (old person) based on my age and this story deals with people my age.  Seems that Seniors are one of the fastest-growing populations of cannabis users in the United States.  While some seniors have used pot for decades, studies suggest that others are turning to the drug for the first time to help them sleep better, dampen pain or treat anxiety...especially when prescription drugs, which often come with unwanted side effects, don't work as intended.  In 2007, only about 0.4% of people my age in the United States had reported using cannabis in the past year, according to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health.  That number rose to almost 3% by 2016 and has recently reached more than 8%.  A woman named Nancy, age 76, has been using cannabis recreationally for her entire adult life and she describes herself as "one of the hippies from the '60s."  But it wasn't until her husband was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease and dementia two years ago that she began to wonder about pot's medical use.  During the course of his illness, her husband, now 79, had developed insomnia.  Soon, neither of them were sleeping.  Doctors prescribed pills to help him rest, but nothing really worked.  At one point, he reacted so negatively to a medicine that he ended up in the hospital.  Then they tried an indica strain from a dispensary near where they live in Clearwater, Florida.  Now, after one gummy and a hit on a pipe, her husband "can sleep at night, which is a huge thing."  Marijuana's medicinal properties have not been well-studied, particularly among older users, making it difficult for doctors to counsel their patients on the benefits and risks.  Cannabis companies have rushed to fill the void, offering tips to older adults about doses or formulations and even creating products meant to appeal to them.  Meanwhile, as more seniors experiment with cannabis, they are evangelizing to one another about its benefits and sharing the problems they've encountered along the way.  "People are just desperate.  They're willing to try anything."  When his own grandmother became convinced that she was reliving the Holocaust during the later stages of her dementia, taking a dissolvable strip with a small amount of THC...the psychoactive component in marijuana, put an end to her flashbacks and helped her feel at peace.  A geriatric psychiatrist, Dr. Haley Solomon, said, "I have had dozens of patients who tell me that it has cured their various ailments and I think that it's really important to listen to them, to acknowledge it and then begin to study it further."  Older adults need to be aware of potential drug interactions and consider how cannabis can affect cognition, coordination and balance.  Seems there is a grassroots effort among some seniors to teach one another as to the good and bad points of the drug.  Carminetta Verner, 88, has become the go-to source for cannabis information at her retirement community in Montgomery County, Maryland which houses about 8,000 older adults.  In 2018 she founded a club devoted to educating residents about medical cannabis.  The club's membership is now about 100, and might be higher if it weren't for the stigma still associated with the drug.  There are a lot of people in pain and traditional medicine isn't helping.  As more states legalize  cannabis --- it is now legal in more than 20 states --- the number of seniors who turn to marijuana will only grow.  An recent Gallup poll found that about two-thirds of adults age 55 and older think the use of marijuana should be made legal.  Because cannabis in not federally legal, doctors don't have enough research to guide them on what conditions it is helpful for, who might be at higher risk for potential harms, how to dose it properly or which strains to recommend.  What makes it even more complicated is cannabis is a very complex plant and there are more than 100 cannabinoids - the biologically active components in the cannabis plant - as well as products with different ratios of THC to cannabidiol, or CBD.  A Dr. Han recommends patients start low and slow.  If a patient wants to try cannabis products containing THC, Han recommends starting at a low dose and then "give it one week" before making the decision to increase it.  Taking too many edibles can cause dizziness, confusion, changes in heart rate and blood pressure, panic attacks, anxiety, nausea, vomiting, and can even land some people in the emergency room.  Cannabis can interact with certain medications, like warfarin, a drug used to treat blood clots.  And seniors who take sedative-hypnotics like Ambien or benzodiazepines like Xanax, or who drink alcohol, should consider avoiding cannabis because it can cause dizziness and confusion and make seniors more susceptible to falls and injuries.  And smoking cannabis can trigger respiratory symptoms in those with chronic lung disease.  We are not yet ready to have everyone try cannabis, but research is being done that may lead to some new advancements in the use of Cannabis.  Here's hoping it reaches a positive conclusion in the near future.  Only time will tell.  And...here's hoping that time is soon.  Now...if I can only find where I can add my name to the list of whom want to legally give it a try....  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.