Cannabis Increasingly Popular Among Those Over 50

Forecasts state that by the end of 2015 more than 110.9 million Americans older than 50 will consume marijuana. And according to a recent study conducted by the company IBISWorld, the number could increase 7% in the next five years.

According to the most recent data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, the number of adult smokers has risen during the last decade. In addition, the cannabis industry has been one of the country's fastest-growing in recent months.

The new trend is neither a mystery nor an accident: those born between 1946 and 1964 represent almost one fourth of the US population, and were pioneers in enjoying the recreational and medicinal benefits of the plant. A retired teacher from Cleveland stated that he had smoked for years before quitting after having children. Now an empty nester, he feels "free" and wants to take his old habit up again.

What is happening, according to the Pew Research Center, is that adults' attitudes towards marijuana are changing, leading to widespread support for recent legalisation, even among those over 50, who had previously exhibited adverse attitudes, rejecting the plant and proposals to make it legal.

An important factor behind this change is that many older people have found in medical cannabis a remedy for the side effects of their ailments, or to soothe pains that before seemed to have no solution. It also delivers psychological benefits, helps to reduce tension and stress, and to overcome certain complications related to age. Research in this area is advancing slowly but surely, making patients aware of the benefits that grass can offer.