Relief or risk? Using cannabis as we age

A salesperson explains CBD products to a mature woman across the counter in a dispensary.

From bucket-list adventures to personal reinvention, many older Americans aren’t shy about scaling new peaks. Cannabis use, it turns out, is one of them.

The number of people 50 and older chasing a high or seeking relief with cannabis has climbed to a new high of its own — especially among women — even as research ties heavy use to certain health dangers.

One in five people ages 50 to 80 said they used some form of cannabis — whether by ingesting or inhaling it — at least once in the past year, up from one in eight just four years ago. That’s according to a 2024 report from the National Poll on Healthy Aging, which focused only on cannabis products containing the psychoactive compound called tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) that’s responsible for the “high” many people feel when using it. By contrast, another cannabis-derived compound known as cannabidiol (CBD) does not produce a high, and many products are sold that contain only CBD, not THC. The dried leaves of the marijuana plant contain both compounds.

Meanwhile, a study published in the July 2025 issue of JAMA Internal Medicine showed cannabis use among people 65 and older has reached fresh heights, with 7% reporting using it in the past month — up from 4.8% in 2021. The study involved nearly 16,000 older adults (54% women).

Now legal for recreational use in 24 states plus the District of Columbia and for medical use in an additional 15 states, THC products have become far more mainstream. But older adults can be particularly vulnerable to some of the drug’s side effects and need to use it cautiously, says Dr. Peter Grinspoon, a primary care doctor and cannabis specialist at Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital.

“For a lot of maladies of aging, cannabis can offer older people safer, more natural, more effective alternatives to traditional pharmaceuticals,” he says. “Like all medications, it has its harms as well as benefits.”

Many reasons for use

According to the National Poll on Healthy Aging, which surveyed nearly 3,400 adults ages 50 to 101, older adults are turning to THC to

relax (81%)
sleep better (68%)
feel good (64%)
relieve pain (63%)
improve mood or mental health (53%)
treat a medical condition (40%).

Women’s use of cannabis has increased significantly in recent years. The 2025 JAMA Internal Medicine study found that the number of older women who tapped cannabis rose from 3.2% in 2021 to 5.3% in 2023. This makes sense, Dr. Grinspoon says, since cannabis can ease certain menopause-related symptoms.

“People use it effectively for the hot flashes, insomnia, and anxiety that go with menopause,” Dr. Grinspoon says. He adds that it can also help with female orgasmic disorder, which leads to difficulty or inability to reach orgasm despite adequate sexual stimulation.

“What often goes up is health-related quality of life,” he says. “If that increases as you’re getting older, you’re generally doing a lot better.”

Potential pitfalls

Still, aging changes how our bodies process many substances, including cannabis. This can mean older adults are more vulnerable to perilous side effects such as falls. Cannabis can also interact with prescription and over-the-counter drugs, which adults 50 and up tend to use more often than younger people do.

“Using cannabis may help you get off some medications,” he says, “but at the same time, older adults are often on a lot of prescriptions and want to be careful to avoid a medication reaction.”

The National Poll on Healthy Aging also showed that one-fifth of older adults aren’t aware that many cannabis products today are far more potent than they were in decades past. This alone increases the risk of troublesome drug interactions and falls.

“Three bong hits now is more like 20 to 30 bong hits used to be,” he says. Folks over 50 also often obtain cannabis from their friends or adult children, “who don’t know that older people should start very gently” when trying it. Marijuana dispensary staffers are often untrained as well and “don’t know that older people should be getting very small doses,” Dr. Grinspoon says.

Embracing cannabis? Tell your doctor

More older adults may be using cannabis than in years past, but there’s an alarming gap between the number doing so and the proportion letting their doctors know about it.

According to 2024 data from the National Poll on Healthy Aging, only 44% of people who regularly use the drug have discussed it with their health care provider. But Dr. Peter Grinspoon, a primary care doctor and cannabis expert at Massachusetts General Hospital, believes the true percentage of people withholding this information from their doctor is even higher.

Transparency is a must for many reasons, however, especially because many commonly used prescription medications can interact with cannabis to lead to unexpected or dangerous effects. Cannabis can also blend badly with alcohol or over-the-counter drugs and increase the risk of falls.

You may be worried that your health care provider will disapprove, but Dr. Grinspoon urges people using cannabis to be open about it with their doctors despite any discomfort.

“You need to bring this up, because you’re shortchanging your own health if you don’t,” he says. “It’s much more likely a good outcome will come from this than a bad one. And over the years, doctors are getting better at receiving this information.”

Safety strategies

These factors may explain why the JAMA Internal Medicine study also showed that medical visits related to cannabis use rose more than 27-fold among adults 65 and older between 2008 and 2021. “Much of that was related to accidental overconsumption,” Dr. Grinspoon says.

Dr. Grinspoon points out that cannabis use is far safer overall than drinking alcohol, which was associated with more than 178,000 deaths in the United States last year. He believes that cannabis, used wisely, can enhance people’s wellness. “It doesn’t really affect the outcome of many diseases,” he says. “But for many people, it does alleviate the symptoms, effectively solving the problem.”

Dr. Grinspoon offers this guidance:

Start low, go slow. If you’re new to cannabis, start by using CBD products. If you’re trying THC for the first time, choose products containing only 1 to 2.5 milligrams per use. “It’s important to be very careful with your dose,” he says.

Avoid smoking it. Marijuana smoke contains carbon monoxide and benzene, which is associated with cancer. “Use tinctures and edibles instead,” he says.