Highlights as US Elders Join Fad for Cannabis

Kyle Johnson, 68, swears by cannabis alone to treat back pain and insomnia. Martha Macbeth, 63, uses it to soothe her sciatica and get a good night's sleep

The two Californians are part of a new wave of senior Americans who are turning to cannabis for relieving pains while craze for drugs is spreading "They come en masse with curiosity and interest, looking for pain relief and sleep problems," said Macbeth, a consultant at Octavia Wellness, a San Francisco startup that addresses older communities across the state, which legalized recreational marijuana and which is the largest legal cannabis market in the country

The interest is such She says that Tupperware-type presentations to introduce cannabis products in retirement homes are bursting with potential customers. 19659002] Products include tinctures, sprays, edibles and topicals such as lotions and oils that relieve a wide range of ailments without attracting the attention of users.

in San Jose (northern California) recently and there were 400 people who wanted to go, "said Macbeth," we were overwhelmed. "

Several studies indicate that seniors are the largest population in the world. America is experiencing the fastest growth and if the trend continues, they could outpace the younger generation in terms of cannabis use.

According to a national study on drug use and health, this consumption increased by 250% between 2006 and 2013.

Another study found a 71% increase in marijuana use among adults aged 50 and over between 2006 and 2016.

In California, 39; one of 29 US states having legalized marijuana for medical purposes, the industry is expected to generate $ 6.5 billion in sales by 2020.

Experts say the elderly population is turning to drugs to treat a host of conditions – – From arthritis to neuropathy, insomnia and chronic pain – and to avoid the side effects associated with prescription medications, including including opioids.

"Some seniors take more than 20 different prescription medications a day …" Too often, these drugs have an impact at first and then go away, "said Beverly Potter, author of" Cannabis. " for Seniors ", a book that helps seniors navigate the new market.

Potter says she's been inundated with requests for advice at conferences and warns her audience not to believe that marijuana is the drug of choice for all affections, especially in light of little medical research on the effects of drugs that remain federally illegal

she strongly believes that cannabis is, in many cases, a better alternative to traditional pain relievers or sleeping pills that can leave patients with bleeding or intoxicated ulcers [19659002] "My advice to people who want to try it is the same slogan: start low and go slowly," Potter told AFP. She said the effects of medical marijuana vary depending on whether the drug is taken as an edible – cookies or gummies – or in the form of Barbara Blaser, a registered nurse for 50 years and now director of clinical services at Magnolia Wellness, a health clinic. Marijuana from Northern California, said that the clients she's meeting do not look for the buzz of their youth, but

"Some people tell me," I just want to be able to work in the garden but I'm not sure what's going on. I have knee pain, "said Blaser, 72, who began using marijuana as a result of a serious illness. By becoming a lawyer.

"If cannabis is used properly, it can change your life and make you happy," she says.

And as social perceptions of drug change and associated stigma disappear, Blaser predicts use as alternative medicine will become more commonplace. 19659002] Take Kyle Johnson, who recently founded a cannabis club with her neighbor Mary Lou Molinaro in their retiree community in Brentwood, north of San Francisco.

"We started the club in March and at the first meeting, 160 people They were worried about letting someone know that they were using medical cannabis or that They were interested, "said Johnson, who uses cannabis to relieve back pain and insomnia

" Now, people regularly stop one of us, and say, " Oh, I can ask you this question, I can not sleep, I have arthritis pain "and we help them as best as we can," she added.

Molinaro, 67 years old when questioned by someone who equates cannabis with stoning.

"I say" look at me, do I look like I'm walking high? " she exclaimed. "In most cases, if you use the right product and see what works best for you, you will find relief and will not look like a stone head."