Marijuana use is becoming more prevalent among baby boomers



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A photo of marijuana plant. More baby boomers aged 50 and over started using marijuana for a variety of reasons, including medicinal purposes. The researchers attribute the increase to the changing attitude towards the pot. ( Rex Medlen | pixabay )

The number of baby boomers or adults aged 50 and over who smoke grass or consume other cannabis products is increasing rapidly.

After analyzing over 17,000 responses to the 2015-2016 national survey on drug use and health, a team of researchers at the NYU School of Medicine found that the percentage of adults aged 50 to 64 using cannabis-based products had doubled in the last decade. The number of users aged 65 and over has been multiplied by seven.

The results were published in the journal Addiction to alcohol and drugs this week.

Use of marijuana in older generations

From 2015 to 2016, 9% of adults aged 50 to 64 admitted to having used marijuana and other cannabis products. In the meantime, the survey found that 3% of respondents aged 65 and over were using recreational drugs.

In comparison, in a previous survey conducted between 2006 and 2007, only 4.5% of people aged 50 to 64 and 0.4% of adults 65 and older reported using marijuana.

The study attributes the increase in marijuana use among baby boomers to society's changing attitude toward recreational drugs. More and more states are legalizing the pot throughout the country and access could encourage more adults to test it at least once, even though marijuana is even more popular among young adults.

It is also more likely that baby boomers, who had access to marijuana and other drugs in the 60s and 70s, rediscover the joys of using the potty in the present.

"The baby boomer generation grew up during a period of significant cultural change, including the popularity of marijuana in the 1960s and 1970s," said Benjamin Han, senior author and assistant professor at NYU Langone Health. .

"We are now in a new era of changing attitudes toward marijuana, and as stigma diminishes and access improves, it seems that baby boomers are increasingly smoking it. .

Some adults, however, reported using marijuana in the present because their doctors recommended it. Cannabis, after all, has medicinal uses, including pain management.

Alarming reasons

Research has also revealed that some baby boomers who use marijuana are at high risk of experiencing the undesirable side effects of recreational drugs. For example, marijuana use and consumption of alcoholic beverages may impair cognitive function.

"One of the worrying conclusions of our study was the higher prevalence of alcohol-related disorders, nicotine addiction, cocaine use, and drug use among adult-litter study.

People who take prescription medication should consult their doctor before using marijuana to prevent abuse.

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