Twenty-one states in the U.S. have already had access to medical marijuana, which can reportedly provide alternative treatments to various chronic diseases. Reports then emerged that marijuana consumption among the elderly continually increased since 2002.
Marijuana consumption among baby boomers (people ages 55 to 64) gradually increased over the span of 12 years. It was mentioned that in 2002, only 1.1 percent of seniors smoke pot, which increased to 6.1 percent by 2014, as reported in Live Science.
The drastic increase of marijuana consumption is said to be accompanied by the medical benefits of the plant. The increasing number of marijuana consumption among the older generation then prompted researchers as to why the numbers made a drastic increase over the years.
"Some older persons have responded to changing social and legal environments, and are increasingly likely to take cannabis recreationally," said lead author Brian Kaskie, Ph.D., a professor at the University Of Iowa College Of Public Health, as reported in News Medical. "Other older persons are experiencing age-related health care needs and some take cannabis for symptom management, as recommended by a medical doctor."
Brian Kaskie, a professor at the University Of Iowa College Of Public Health, and his colleagues neared the conclusion of their study. But it was mentioned that they could not get a concrete reason as to why baby boomers increased their marijuana consumption over the years.
"At this time, these sorts of critical public health policy questions cannot be answered, largely because there is a pervasive lack of reliable and representative information being collected about cannabis and older persons," the researchers mentioned in their study.
Researchers are still in search of concrete evidence of marijuana's credibility in terms of providing positive effects on the body and pave the way for a new medical advancement. It is still an ongoing debate as to whether marijuana should be approved for overall medical consumption but experts are already a few steps ahead of providing positive results.
