Georgia legalized medical marijuana for patients with qualifying conditions in 2015, though the State is currently at a standstill while ironing the details of its program.
While the State remains delayed in its MMJ happenings, Americans across the Nation are turning to Cannabis for medicinal relief, and some of the people converting to cannabis might surprise you.
Cannabis use among Americans over the age of 65 has become much more common over the years. With more states introducing medical marijuana programs, it’s no surprise that senior stoners are getting comfortable with cannabis.
As an alternative to pharmaceutical medications, a powerful natural pain reliever and with benefits like lower inflammation and decreased muscle rigidity, seniors have found a lot of use for marijuana as a medicine. In this article, we’ll cover why seniors are becoming stoners faster than ever.
Why Senior Citizens Are Turning to Pot
Seniors Are One of the Biggest Groups Adopting Cannabis
When you think of your average pot smoker, your grandma or grandpa probably don’t show up in your head.
Not surprisingly, about 10 years ago, only around 0.5% of Adults aged 65 or older were using cannabis.
Now, the number of seniors using cannabis is over 4%, with much of the increase happening in the last few years.
Interestingly, out of that increase in usage, high income earners, women, minorities, and college graduates saw the highest increases.
The reasons why seniors are adopting cannabis at such a fast rate have a lot to do with science, medicine, and the community. With medical marijuana’s long list of potential medicinal benefits, older Americans are using cannabis to treat many symptoms more effectively and safer than some traditional pharmaceuticals.
Access to Affordable Healthcare and Quality Cannabis
One of the major reasons seniors seem to be having a turnaround with cannabis is because of access to affordable quality healthcare.
Modern science is clear about the potential medicinal benefits of cannabis: there’s a lot of them.
That’s not to say cannabis isn’t without drawbacks, but we do know the days are long gone of cannabis exploited as a vile weed that causes you to lose your mind.
In modern times, there is more access to medical information and more available research on alternative options like cannabis. Even though the United States has traditionally been averse to studying the medical benefits of cannabis, that’s turning around too. Arkansas recently utilized a federal grant to study medical marijuana use.
The Medical Benefits of Cannabis for Older Americans
Inflammation & Cannabis Are a Match Made in Heaven
As you grow older, your body goes through many different changes, and not all of them are for the better.
Inflammation is believed to be one of the leading causes of many different complications linked to conditions like arthritis, fatigue, weight gain, DNA damage, cancer, heart disease, and many more.
Inflammation is often at the root of many problems, but cannabis can play a unique role in reducing inflammation.
Many cannabinoids in the cannabis plant have powerful anti-inflammatory properties, and medical marijuana’s ability to reduce certain types of inflammation make it favorable for conditions like Alzheimer’s, arthritis, limb pain, and joint pain.
Cannabis for Chronic Pain
Nearly one in five people take a pill every day to relieve aches or soreness, and seniors are usually pretty familiar with maintaining a pill regimen.
Baby boomers, through no fault of their own, are susceptible to the complications that are invited by aging, and aside from living a healthy lifestyle and making health-conscious decisions, there isn’t a lot you can do about aging.
Aging brings along all sorts of complications and unfamiliar pains, such as heart disease, cancer, Alzheimer’s, limb or joint pain, high blood pressure, and diabetes.
Seniors can see improvements in problems like limb pain, nerve pain, joint pain, arthritis, inflammation, and many more ailments by utilizing medical marijuana. When cannabis is used alongside making healthy life choices, you may even see improvements with problems like high blood pressure, diabetes, and of course, chronic pain.
Chronic pain is the number 1 symptom approved for medical marijuana use, because as an alternative to harmful pharmaceutical medications, cannabis has an incredible ability to treat pain effectively and more safely long-term than opioids and narcotics.
Get Your Georgia Marijuana Card
Georgia’s medical marijuana program is currently at a stall, and legislators are working to reduce delays and move forward with certifying patients for medical marijuana use.
We will be processing medical marijuana certifications as soon as the system is live for Georgia patients.
Reserve your appointment today and get $25 off when we start processing applications!
Feel free to give us a call at (866) 781-5606, and we can help answer your questions about getting medical marijuana in Georgia