More than 20% of older adults have used pot in the past year. Why over-50s are curious about cannabis.

More than one in five people age 50 or older have used cannabis at least once in the past year, a new survey reveals. And most of them smoke, consume or vape cannabis products once or twice a month, they told University of Michigan researchers.

As the number of states where cannabis is legal rises and the stigma around the substance diminishes, more people are using it — and that includes older adults. For some, it may represent a welcome return to something they once enjoyed but was taboo at the time, experts say. Other 50-and-overs may be trying cannabis for the first time as they search for more “natural” relief for new aches or pains. But how safe is it?

Here’s what experts think about the trend, and their tips to help older adults safely use cannabis.

What the survey found

Of the 21% of older Americans using cannabis, most do so at least once a month, according to a national poll of nearly 3,400 people age 50 and up. That’s a significant increase from 2023, when just 12% of people 50 to 80 years old said they’d used any THC-containing product in the past year and 5% who said they use cannabis once a month or less, according to the last iteration of the survey.

According to the survey, most people use multiple forms of cannabis — chiefly, consuming edible or drinkable forms and smoking it — and partake for more than one purpose. More than 80% said they use pot to relax, 68% take it to help them sleep and 63% say cannabis is a form of pain relief. For 53% of respondents, cannabis is a mental health and mood booster, while another 64% simply said that using cannabis “feels good.”

Why have older Americans become cannabis curious?

Erin Bonar, who co-authored the report on the survey’s findings, tells Yahoo Life that the past is one thing driving present cannabis use for the younger portion of older Americans. “Older adults who are aging into that stage of life are people who may have used cannabis when they were younger and it was more popular as a social or party drug,” explains Bonar, a University of Michigan professor of psychiatry and addiction. Now cannabis is more widely legal and acceptable. Brian Kaskie, a University of Iowa professor of health management and policy who also studies older people’s pot use, tells Yahoo Life that amid cannabis legalization, “compounded with the aches and pains that come with age, [older Americans] may be responsive to that and using it more.”

There’s also some evidence that cannabis “may be helpful for some of the conditions that older adults struggle with,” says Bonar, including everything from insomnia to menopause symptoms and the side effects of chemotherapy — though so far the research on potential benefits remains mixed. Still, Kaskie sees cannabis as an “alternative to the opioid epidemic.” In many cases, he claims, older people offered a choice between opioids or cannabis for pain will choose cannabis. “A lot of people are scared to start a prescription regimen of opioids,” he says.

Stronger weed may bring greater risks for older people

Still, cannabis is not without risk. Research suggests that there have been sharp rises in emergency room visits linked to cannabis use broadly speaking and in older adults specifically since medical and recreational use have been legalized. The “not your parents’ weed” phenomenon is partly to blame, says Bonar. “Cannabis today is many, many times stronger than it was even in the 90s,” she explains. Some products are now up to 90% THC (the psychoactive ingredient in cannabis) compared to around 4% in the ‘90s. “That’s like going from Bud Light to Everclear” vodka, says Bonar.

And while cannabis may not be as addictive as drugs such as cocaine and opioids (or, for that matter, legal substances such as alcohol and nicotine), Bonar is still concerned about use disorder. In fact, many older adults who responded to her survey showed symptoms, including rising tolerance and cravings. Cannabis is also not FDA-approved, and there is no established safe dose of the substance, says Bonar. (For what it’s worth, Kaskie is skeptical of addiction specialists’ takes on cannabis: “A lot of those people see cannabis in only the negative outcome space,” he says.)

Tips for safer cannabis use

Bonar says she isn’t trying to scare anyone or tell older adults not to use cannabis if they want to. But she does want people to be aware of the risks, and what they can do to reduce them, such as:

1. Don’t drive high. Rates of severe accidents have shot up following legalization of weed in various states, and research has shown particularly worrisome driving issues among high older adults. “Cannabis slows you down, it impairs our brain reaction time and coordination,” Bonar explains. “In older adults, function starts to slow anyway, so cannabis is doing something on top of that to make it harder to be a defensive and reactive driver.”

2. Talk to your doctor before mixing cannabis with other drugs. “Like any substance you put into your system, [older adults] have probably got other medication in their systems,” Bonar notes. “Just let your health providers know so they can monitor for any impact or interactions they may have with cannabis.” She adds that mixing alcohol and cannabis “is potentially very risky.”

3. Start slow. It bears repeating that cannabis is much stronger than it once was. So if you’re new to using it, or haven’t in a long time, Bonar urges to start at a low dose.

4. Sit back and relax. The effects of cannabis on your reaction time can also raise the risks of falls, especially for older people, Bonar says. So if you’re using it, “stay home, enjoy yourself … and maybe don’t plan on going anywhere the rest of the day,” she advises.