Growth of Senior Citizens using Cannabis as an Alternative for their Ailments

A product’s life cycle has four stages (introductory, growth, maturity and decline). This is somewhat similar to how the human cycle operates. That is, being born, we mature and finally die. When products go out of the market, they can easily be modified, rebranded and prepared to make another entrance as a new product in the market. Humans, on the other hand, are void of such luxuries of rebranding. Especially at old age, where we are practically heading towards the grave as our mission on earth has met its end.

Cannabis for Baby Boomers

The rise to prominence and the billion-dollar industry for which we see today hasn’t occurred by accident. Championed by years of research, millions invested and the willingness and might to see beyond negativity and the ill perceptions about the cannabis plant. Whatever the case may be, one thing is for sure and that is the medical potencies of the cannabis plant.

While birth and old age are circles of life, we must learn to handle our fragile bodies during the twilight of our existence. During this period, the body can’t function like before and such need a wide array of medications to keep us alive and kicking. However, many medications have served the baby boomers well especially for pain, restlessness, lack of appetite, anxiety and depression. According to the University of Colorado, none works better than medical cannabis.

Cannabis for the Old: What the Stats Say

While the legalization of cannabis for medical and recreational uses in some states in the US is upon us, the aging population is gradually staking their claim. This is evident as almost 4% of adults over the age of 65 in the US consumed cannabis last year alone. According to the National Survey of Drug Use and Health showed, this shows a more than tenfold increase from 0.3% in 2007. In addition, another survey records that, almost 10% of adults aged between 60-64 years admitted to consuming cannabis in 2019. This is an almost 2% increase when compared to 10 years ago.

Baby Boomers: The Struggles to Acquire Cannabis

It should be worthy to note that, Colorado and 10 other states and the District of Columbia have legalized cannabis for recreational, with its medical cannabis counterpart now legal in 33 states in the US. Amidst these groundbreaking figures and opportunities, many Americans of the aging population still find it impossible to get hold of medical cannabis (researchers say).

While this situation goes back to lack of education on the part of the physicians in treating ailments with cannabis, some believe patients feel stigmatized for seeking and having treatment with cannabis. That is in conformity with a research team that surveyed 136 people over age 60 at the Colorado senior centers, health clinics as well as cannabis dispensaries in 2017.

Doctors Should Do More

While things change every day especially in the medical field, doctors and physicians are encouraged to research and learn more about medical cannabis. That is in terms of usage, dosage, potencies as well as the risk associated when consumed by the baby boomers or the old and elderly. In addition, doctors should learn to outgrow the stigmas associated with patients using cannabis for their ailment and focus more on helping the patient through this process with cannabis as the main panacea and source of relief.

Cannabis Card

While money is tagged as a legal tender and a facilitator for the purchase of goods and services, the cannabis card in a gateway to acquiring medical cannabis. While the possession of the card makes you eligible to acquire medical cannabis of your ailment, there are still obstacles when it comes to the acquisition of the card. This is simply because of the difficulty associated with keeping track of their previous treatment routines prior to the medical cannabis patients now seek.

With that said and for fear of causing more harm than good caution is the watchwords when it comes to handing cannabis cards. Be it young and old for fear of the unknown.

Final Note

Cannabis has come to stay in our lives as well as in our society. Therefore, it is advisable to embrace it, study and make good of its medical potencies and attributes. In addition, both patients and doctors should be educated about the drug, in order to curb the stigma that once existed and together we’d be able to heal the world with cannabis.