As cannabis becomes increasingly legal and socially accepted across the world, a worrying trend has emerged: more seniors are developing problematic relationships with the drug.
A study published by the JAMA Network Open, led by Dr Silvia Perez-Vilar from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), highlights a significant rise in cannabis-related health issues among Medicare beneficiaries aged 65 and older from 2017 to 2022.
The research, which analysed data from almost 56 million Medicare recipients, excluding nursing home residents, indicates a steady increase in health care encounters linked to cannabis use.
According to Perez-Vilar's team, "rates of health care encounters with cannabis-related disorders increased from 2017 through 2022’.
The study specifically focused on Medicare claims involving any medical incidents associated with cannabis use.
By 2022, states and territories that had legalised both medical and recreational marijuana use reported the highest rates of cannabis-related medical care, with approximately 45 cases per 10,000 Medicare claims.
In comparison, states where only medical marijuana was legal saw slightly lower rates at 41.5 cases per 10,000. The lowest rates were observed in states where marijuana use remained illegal for both medical and recreational purposes, at 27.7 cases per 10,000.
The study did not specify what these ‘health care encounters“ were.
Studies show that older adults commonly use medical cannabis for the same conditions younger patients do: pain, insomnia, neuropathy, and anxiety.
Experts have long raised concerns about the rise in addictions and mental health crises linked to cannabis use, primarily among younger populations. For instance, a recent study found that teens using cannabis faced 11 times the odds of experiencing a psychotic episode compared to their non-using peers. The latest findings suggest these dangers may also extend to older adults, posing a growing public health issue.
"Overall, data suggest that increasing rates of health care encounters documenting cannabis-related disorders among older adults might be associated with the type of cannabis legalisation," the FDA team reported.
This correlation underscores the need for targeted public health strategies to address the risks associated with cannabis use in older populations. It found that the most significant increases in cannabis-related medical care were in non-emergency outpatient settings, regardless of the state’s cannabis legal status.
While the study offers critical insights, it also highlights several limitations. For example, it did not account for demographic variables, socio-economic factors, comorbidities, the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, or differences in cannabis policies among states. Additionally, discrepancies between Medicare Advantage (MA) and Fee-for-Service (FFS) billing practices may have influenced the results.
As the controlled legalisation of cannabis in South Africa is still relatively recent, studies on its use and impacts on the local population are still limited.
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