Marijuana drug use is typically considered a young person’s issue or practice, depending on your perspective. Did you know that marijuana use among senior citizens is on the rise? The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration recently found that marijuana use among people 50 and over has risen in the past few years from 1.9% to 2.9%. Earlier generations of seniors had very negative impressions of marijuana, but the aging of the baby boomers increases the number of seniors who were part of the “free love” generation of the 60s and 70s. Some of these people tried illicit drugs in their teens and twenties and have continued to smoke marijuna all along. Some have returned to it after a break either because they are retired and have more free time to enjoy it, or because it helps to relieve some of the aches and pains of aging. Either way, SAMHA expects that as baby boomers age, the number of elderly marijuana users will continue to increase. Maybe it’s time to change our perceptions of “typical” senior behavior, which may lead to increased testing of older employees for illicit drug use. The standard view of marijuana use is in for a big shift!
Written by www.labtestingnow.com