Are Baby Boomers Looking to Medical Marijuana for Relief?
Are Baby Boomers Looking to Medical Marijuana for Relief? A New York University study says YES!
More Baby Boomers and granparents are turning to marijuana.
A new study from researchers at New York University shows the number of baby boomers using marijuana is skyrocketing. And the amount of people age 65 and up is also increasing.
“They’re using it more because it helps,” said Joe Redner, a medical marijuana advocate and cancer patient who has been fighting for the right to grow his own medicinal pot. “It’s a medicine and the baby boomers are finally learning that everything the government told them about marijuana is a lie,” he said.
The study says marijuana use is up 9 percent among baby boomers and 3 percent among those 65 and older.
Redner isn’t surprised, “It’s good for you and your body and can be used to cure specific health problems.”
The study also says while most marijuana users are young adults, the baby boomer generation is unique in having more experience with the drug back in the 1960s and ’70s, and those who have done it before are more likely to do it again. It also found adults who used marijuana were more likely to report alcohol use disorder, nicotine dependence and misuse of prescription medications.
But one thing is clear from the study: stigmas against marijuana are changing.
“It’s just unbelievable for all these years that the government put this stigma on it and made it a debilitating drug when it’s not and can be used not only for medicinal use but to create a bunch of other everyday products we use too,” Redner said.
Redner says those using the plant are smart to do so because of the health benefits but says there’s probably another reason for the increased use.
“The average marijuana user in the country is 50 years old. The average user in Florida is 55 years old. The reason for that is because they want to get off their opioids, and marijuana is something that helps get you off them,” Redner said.
Read more at: https://www.wtsp.com/article/weather/health/study-more-baby-boomers-turning-to-pot-as-they-age/67-596318104
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Author: Scott Lawrence
Scott is a cannabis fan, enjoying the experience as much as the feeling.