Boomers' Weed Use Grows to the Highest It's Ever Been

[babylonsister]

https://www.thedailybeast.com/boomers-weed-use-grows-to-the-highest-its-ever-been/

Boomers’ Weed Use Grows to the Highest It’s Ever Been
BLAZE IT
Lauren Lewis
Reporter
Published 06.03.25 8:37AM EDT

Older Americans are living the high life—weed use in baby boomers has billowed to its highest ever level, new research shows. About 7 percent of senior Americans told a federally administered 2023 National Survey on Drug Use and Health that they had used cannabis in the past month. That marked a 46 percent increase from 2021, when the figure was 4.8 percent. Men still registered higher rates of cannabis use, but the increase was larger among women. The most marked upswing was by adults earning more than $75,000 annually who went from the lowest use rate per income category in 2021 to the highest in 2023. Much of these increases could be sparked by the legalization of cannabis. The research did not differentiate between medicinal and recreational use but did find that increased use of weed was associated with heart conditions, diabetes, hypertension, and cancer, as well as other chronic medical conditions. Medical professionals called for further research on the effect of cannabis on the elderly and how it interacts with other drugs to better understand the potential side effects of increased use.

[NNadir]

1. I won't be joining in. I rather like a functioning mind.

[usedtobedemgurl]

39. My mind does not function....

Not properly. I was hit by a car and have a brain injury. I have headaches I have memory problems. The same accident left me in 24/7 unrelenting pain. I ended up suicidal until my son told me about Delta 8 being legal in this state. It saved me from killing myself. The ONLY reason I small e, today, is because of it. Not sure if it would ruin my mind or how it would, but I am grateful for if. A lot of older folks have pain.

[Dave Bowman]

76. So happy that it brought you some relief. I do smoke regularly and it helps a lot with the chronic pain.

And the "messing up your brain" stoner movie cliché is B.S, most of it comes from stupid ads claiming that an egg in a pan is just like your brain on drugs. 🙄

Now alcohol is something that scrambles the brain when you abuse it.

[usedtobedemgurl]

78. It is a saving grace for some.

For a person (again, my mind is nowhere near a 100%) to sound like they are saying you can use drugs and rot your brain, but I am not, sounds cruel and uncaring. It does not give the empathy of saying you know folks sometimes have to use drugs, you choose not to, but it is great people can. Instead, it sounds to me like they look down on people - you do drugs, they rot the mind, therefore you are stupid from your rotted mind.

I often say the day of my accident I had the intelligence of a college graduate, now I ride the short, yellow bus. I forget my dog's names, my husband's name and much more. I do not habe faith in my decisions. If someone talks to me and their is music or the tv on, they will now cancel each other out. My husband has cancer and takes a lot of pills. Last night i.took an infused drink. Even with that, I cried from the pain of putting his pills in his weekly pill dispenser. My concussion specialist did a sleep study on me. They make you turn off all distractions. No tv. No music. I sat in the bed, alone with my pain. I cried for 8 hours straight. All I had was my psin. Nothing to distract me. I used to the entire Kleenex box on my bedside. My PTSD person said I was traumatized from the experience. My concussion Dr reacted almost the same way as the person I responded to, above. I told him I was suicidal before taking Delta 8. He shrugged!

Some people want this. Some need it. Making judgements about what it does to your brain is not helpful. Some folks are only alive because of it.

[usedtobedemgurl]

80. There goes my brain!

I am happy you find relief, and I hope it continues.

You would think if it messed uo.your brain, A whole lot of folks would be in institutions.

I do not touch alcohol. Not sure I could drink it at this point. I habe to severely micro dose myself. Since the accident, it feels like I am super sensitive to drugs. If I nibble a brownie, I may be so high I cannot walk or stand up. I cannot imagine what alcohol would do to me.

I hope you find much support and leave of pain in your partaking of weed.

[marble falls]

2. I do join in, not having pain makes me makes my mind work just fine. Now that demon, alcohol .............

[Rebl2]

13. ???

[marble falls]

21. I smoke pot for pain relief. Alcohol is the demon. Can't make it simpler than that, pal.

[Blue Full Moon]

25. 100%

As for mind. Actually makes me more focused. It actually helps my poor elderly pup who has dogheimer's he walks better and remembers how to go in and out the dog door. He will actually dance a little for his treats.

[getagrip_already]

31. alcohol kills... pot doesn't

Alcohol has a very dire track record of causing deaths to illness, accident, and death to others from drunk drivers. I won't even bother with statistics, but lets at least acknowledge that almost every hard drug abuser started with alcohol. Alcohol is the most dangerous gateway drug out there.

Can people use alcohol responsibly? Absolutely.

Cannabis on the other hand has very few documented health risks. It is almost impossible to OD on it (though rare cases have been anecdotally reported). In fact, under the raygun admin, the FDA was ordered to determine what the LD50 (lethal dose to 50% of population types would be) of cannabis. They failed miserably to the point where they put a friggin gas mask on a monkey and fed it the equivalent of 30 pounds of cannabis smoke in 30 minutes. The poor monkey died of asphyxiation, but they listed as cannabis toxicity.

Additionally, people who smoke cannabis and drive tend to drive slower and more carefully, while people on alcohol drive way faster and more erratically.

So of the two, I'd much rather my kids smoke pot than abuse alcohol.

You can look up all those points. I'll leave that to the fact checkers.

[Johnny2X2X]

3. Heart disease risks

https://www.cnn.com/2025/05/28/health/marijuana-edibles-heart-damage-wellness

Seems like a new study every day now. I am for totally legal weed, but I also think informed use of anything is best.

[Blue Full Moon]

26. The article states it doesn't cause it.

In fact most of the people that I know who do have that never used pot.

[rollin74]

36. Indeed. More research is definitely needed

but some troubling study findings have been coming out recently

https://www.acc.org/About-ACC/Press-Releases/2025/03/17/15/35/Cannabis-Users-Face-Substantially-Higher-Risk

[JanMichael]

74. Sitting all the time is worse. Proven.

Also smoking anything isn't particularly safe for the lungs and heart.

Now let's toss sugar into the mix. If these so called research assholes really cared about human health they would try to wean humans off of so much fucking sugar.

[Johnny2X2X]

75. There are tons of studies about sugar

These research assholes have been doing their best to sound the warning about sugar for 50 years or more. But most people don't listen.

[lark]

4. I am part of these stats.

73 yo woman here who smokes more than ever because I can't sleep without them and hate narcotics. I've had trouble sleeping almost always since I was born, also trouble with anxiety starting in my 40's when I had cancer for the fist time. Pot helps me out a lot with both. I am possibly having heart issues now, getting tested next week, so might have to consider changing - hope not!

[Mossfern]

15. I'll stick with my opiods for pain

Oxycodone 4 times a day.
I don't like the high of cannabis - exacerbates my PTSD.

I hardly feel the Oxy (5mg.) but know when it's working because I can do things.

76 years old

[lark]

18. Some old folks don't tolerate narcotics well and I'm one of them.

Couldnt take any pain pills after a major surgery 7 years ago because my body wasn't processing them and I got very sick and constantly dizzy, throwing up, could not get out of bed without passing out. Could not take any at all! Pot pretty much saved me then.
Now, if it's messing with my heart, I may have to cut way back.

[Attilatheblond]

68. I couldn't tolerate those meds when I was young. Been a long life of pain until I tried some gummies

Doesn't make me high, just ratchets down the pain so I can sleep more than one hour a night.

[lark]

81. So glad you found some relief!

What kind of gummies do you take?

[Attilatheblond]

82. Found Wana brand with a fuller spectrum works best (so far) for me. I use the "stay asleep" Dream Berry

each piece:
CBD 20mg
CBN 5 mg
CBG 5 mg
THC 10 mg

They make the pain ease (arthritis everywhere, especially full length of spine) and let me get sleepy. Then, I actually SLEEP! I do get somewhat dizzy and have to move carefully if I get up during the night to pee. Not groggy at all in the morning, Sleep is an amazing thing!

Started using CBD oil cream and oral drops a few years ago. Some help, but just enough to keep going (mainly due to my stubborness ) but it really didn't do much. I use the cream on hands and feet on bad days. Also, physical therapy taught me ways to help the tendons that are affected. But sleep, real restful sleep, PRICELESS after so long.

[lark]

83. Thanks for the info.

I will check these out further. The blend sounds good!

[usedtobedemgurl]

43. Tell me who the dr iz

That will prescribe that. I would love to know. I have requested 30 a YEAR and my dr gave me a hard no! I cannot imagine how much Senna/Miralax you take. My hubby takes 6 a day and sometimes it does not help.

[Mossfern]

46. I see a pain management doctor

I still have issues with pain.
Tomorrow I have a consultation with a hypnotherapist to see if he can help.

Chia pudding does wonders - along with Miralax. Your husband should wean himself off of senna - it's a stimulant laxative and people become dependent on it. I know! He needs to eat more fiber and lots of water.

I take Warfarin, so I can't take any anti inflammatory meds and I am allergic to any of the nerve pain meds.
Oxy is the only thing I can tolerate. Had back surgery that failed.

My son managed a dispensary and gave me cannabis gummies - didn't work.

[Hekate]

73. When in doubt use Miralax every single day. If too expensive, find a generic -- Costco's brand is the same as Miralax ...

…and way cheaper than Miralax. (Costco: Kirkland LaxaClear)

Water and vegetables are indeed good for you, but my guts are a special case that I seem to have inherited from dear old dad.

[H2O Man]

5. Recommended.

:I get high with a little help from my friends." -- Ringo

[MizLibby]

6. went to the ER

with a bleeding gut after using Advil for chronic lower back pain. This boomer loves her cannabis balm..

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

7. Boomer here

Haven't smoked in over 30 years. Not really interested.

[DBoon]

33. When I was much younger, I looked forward to the day pot would be legal

Never thought by the time it happened I'd be too old to care

[PlanetBev]

8. Wacky Tobaccy

I did my share of it when I was younger, but at 74, I’m trying to hang on to every brain cell I can.

I do miss the giggles, though.

[bdamomma]

55. What

about the munchies too!!!

Dispensary pot is not like pot from the past, it apparently has gotten much stronger. Homegrown is best, if you can keep it concealed.

[Bohunk68]

56. Legality

Here in NY, we can have 6 plants per person, 12 per household. Lots of people out there growing their own by purchasing cuttings from other businesses. Still have 2 large candle jars from last year's 2 small units. Danger of frost is now over, and the plants go outside. Just make sure they are at least 2' high or the deer will have the munchies. Once it gets to there, the deer don't like the barbs on the leaf bottoms. So I am told.

[Torchlight]

9. It's heartening to see older Americans embracing a little relaxation and relief

Who knew a well-timed puff could pair so well with a retirement check and a recliner?

[DEbluedude]

40. Or beach chair.

[GP6971]

11. Really??? This is your first post??? EYBS!!!

[Maine Abu El Banat]

12. Excuse me!!

This Boomer is insulted by your post.

[Rebl2]

14. No way

I would ever smoke pot at my age. I inhale enough junk just from breathing our air these days.
To each his own though.

[womanofthehills]

51. There are always cookies & gummies

Many of my older friends go the cookies route esp for sleeping.

[Rebl2]

58. I have tried

gummies for sleep and pain. They don’t help me very much for pain, and only occasionally for sleep.

[Blue Dotty]

67. Better than acetamenaphen for what ails me

A hemp gummy may not cancel the pain but distracts enough to make it livable.

[BoRaGard]

16. Blame it on the Boomers - cha, cha, cha

Blame it on the Boomers today - cha cha cha

(To be sung to the tune of Blame it on the Bosa Nova. Fun tune if you need a mid-day pickup).

?si=g8yI3HuyOHlOqtqb

[MineralMan]

17. I smoked enough of it in the late 60s and early 70s to last

through the rest of my life, I think. I stopped in 1974, due to the high cost of an ounce of decent bud at the time. I think it was like $120. Too much.

[Bantamfancier]

57. 1974 was a bad year for everything.

Gas lines. No jobs. A dime bag barely lasting a day.
Just for reference, I picked up an oz last month in Michigan for 10 bucks. It’s so damn strong, I refused to drive on it. Same stuff in Ohio is over $200. But it helps with my bad back and arthritis.

[k_buddy762]

19. I get high on life

That's right, man.

[SamKnause]

20. Started at 23 and I will be 72 this month.

I smoke everyday several times a day.

I don't smoke and drive.

I don't drink.

I don't take any prescription drugs.

I am happy at this juncture in my life.

I enjoy everyday !!!

I am grateful for things like a roof over my head, plenty of food to eat, and being the least stressed I have ever been in my life.

Sometimes I catch myself smiling from ear to ear because I am grateful and happy just enjoying the days and nights.

[Ponietz]

27. Enjoying the simple things is a secret to happiness

Home and hearth; the rest is cosplay.

[Codifer]

37. yeah

[LudwigPastorius]

22. The last time I smoked was 10 years ago, and I didn't really enjoy it like I used to.

These days I'm on call 24 hours a day taking care of my mom, so I can't afford to get intoxicated.

(I'm just on the tail end of being classified as a baby boomer.)

[republianmushroom]

23. Weed, hell of a lot better for you than, 'Alcohol'.

For those that don't do Weed do you use Alcohol ?

Check the stats.

[Mossfern]

47. I have an occassional glass of wine and

a cocktail once in a blue moon.
Many people with PTSD tend to shy away from being intoxicated.
We need to be vigilant.

[NNadir]

60. Saying that breast cancer is better than pancreatic cancer does not make breast cancer a good thing.

[womanofthehills]

62. Many alcoholics have turned their lives around when they switched to weed

Alcoholics can often be dangerous to themselves and others, while weed smokers are all chill. My ex was an alcoholic who almost burned our house down. My longtime guy - a mellow weed smoker.

Give me a stoned guy over a drunk one any day.

[elocs]

70. I've never used weed, gave up alcohol 50 years ago when I was 22.

Weed being better for you than alcohol is a pretty low bar used in an attempt to justify its use though.

[AmandaRuth]

24. 7% is ridiculously low

I'm in a 420 state and i would put the number at 25% and probably much higher.

Also, I was brought up in a household with some toxic alcohol issues and I would take a pot head anytime, every time over a alcoholic person, sibling or parent.

Alcoholics' scream and hit, potheads just want to sit down and play cards.

[womanofthehills]

48. That's definitely a low number for NM

Almost everyone I know in my small rural town has a few plants growing.

[Ocelot II]

28. Haven't touched it since the '70s.

It was fun when I was 20 and could hang out with friends and talk about weird stuff and watch the Hamm's Beer lamp go round and round, but I don't like the smell, and the older I get the less I enjoy any form of intoxication.

[Deep State Witch]

30. If they Counted CBD Users

It would be probably a LOT higher. I use CBD on my joints (ha!) and take it to sleep sometimes. But I can't tolerate regular cannabis. The one time I tried it after I retired, I wound up eating an entire box of keto peanut butter cups and getting sick. Moral to the story - even 40 years later, THC still gives me the munchies. So I'll pass on it. But, if it helps you, go for it.

[Hekate]

72. I think so too, regarding CBD use, per my post down-thread...

I can’t smoke and am not interested in getting high. I do like a nice Scotch from time to time — but it’s not a panacea for the chronic and draining insomnia. So as of this week I am taking my SIL’s advice and trying the gummies she gave me — and OMG what it is to sleep for 8 or more hours straight through.

[Maeve]

32. "associated with" is not causal--people in pain may just use weed more often

But as long as research is limited, we can't really find out now, can we?

[womanofthehills]

61. Depends on whats causing the pain and how each individual responds -

If it works, no research needed. I supply my friend who has MS with weed cookies. She is on so many meds for pain but she says weed works the best.

[Maeve]

64. Oh, I agree in that if it works, it works

But for real data-driven science you need the kind of testing that has been illegal in the US for years
I'm sure your friend blesses you for your kindness

[Coventina]

34. I'm GenX. I wish weed worked for me.

I'm one of those weird people that genetically are not affected by THC.

[womanofthehills]

49. Some of the new strains have 33% or more THC

You might need the higher THC strains.

[jmowreader]

35. Hmm...

You mean that now you can buy weed in a lot of places WITHOUT getting hauled off by the cops, and it's been analyzed so you know you're getting weed that hasn't been stepped on or adulterated with angel dust, people feel like it's safe to smoke the stuff and so they do? Whoda thunk?

[womanofthehills]

50. Lots of growers use pesticides

One of the dispensaries here in NM had products that tested for Malathion. Always best to grow your own or get from a friend if you want clean pot.

[BigDemVoter]

38. It isn't the same strength it was when I was a teenager!

[Tree Lady]

41. My 75 yr old husband is one of them

loves it makes him happy, says its his antidepressant.

I don't use it but hasn't hurt hubby, of course he just has a few hits 4-5 times a week.

[nolabear]

42. Best pain/anxiety/sleep drug I know of.

I use a high CBD, pretty low THC oil at night and it makes all the difference in how I feel. I’ve got chronic pain issues these days and it’s a part of the group of things that keep me from just being miserable. I suspect lots of us use it for that. And a little buzz is nice.

[MorbidButterflyTat]

44. Wish I had some.

[Greybnk48]

45. I quit smoking cigarettes 18 years ago in April. That's put the kibash on my pot smoking.

I tried to smoke a joint about 8 years ago and damn near choked to death out on our deck. While I didn't die, I did manage to wet may pants coughing. I don't do edibles. They make me feel weird. I'll stick to chocolate and an occasional Guinness.

My hippie days are not over though. I'm still a militant protester and at 76, I can keep up with the best of them!

[Skittles]

52. could never smoke pot, makes me paranoid

but I have never judged those who do, I just hope they do it responsibly as with alcohol

[DFW]

53. This is a big article about what is still a small minority

I am 73, make over $75,000, and have a heart condition. I tried a cigarette at age 14. I gagged and choked. I thought then, as now, that Abraham Lincoln nailed it: “what is a cigarette? A stinking weed with fire on one end and a fool on the other.” I was offered a joint at age 17 and had the same reaction: gagging and choking. There is a reason that all animals that can will run as fast as they can away from forest fires. People who heavily indulged in both seemed to me to have hair and clothes that reeked of their habits, but maybe I’m more sensitive than some.

To those who indulge, I say whatever floats your boat, by all means, go for it, but do not expect me to be joining you. Chacun à son goût.

[H2O Man]

66. Everyone has the right

to their own opinion about pot. No one has the right to deny others' choices. I think it should not be available to those under 18, despite remembering how I accessed various things before turning 18. I don't think it should be used around children. Neither of my daughters had a clue growing up, when my medical team suggested pot as an alternative to "pain pills."

[thought crime]

54. I wanna be sedated !

[the_liberal_grandpa]

59. Favorite Marijuana Quotes

"When you smoke the herb, it reveals you to yourself."
Bob Marley

"The biggest killer on the planet is stress, and I still think the best medicine is and always has been cannabis."
Willie Nelson

"Sometimes you just gotta say ‘fuck it’ and smoke a big ass joint."
Tommy Chong

"Some of my finest hours have been spent on my back veranda, smoking hemp and observing as far as my eye can see."
Thomas Jefferson

PS- Iv'e been toking it up for 50 years but don't drink alcohol which has ruined countless lives.

[Intractable]

63. It's never been more available.

Dispensaries are amazing candy stores to people who have enjoyed the stuff long term.

[róisín_dubh]

65. Wish my mom would...

She’s got glaucoma.
Now, let’s get the UK to legalise it and this Xennial would be a happy girl. Totally helps my anxiety and quiets the bees in my brain from un-medicated ADHD.

[elocs]

69. I'm a Boomer--72, and I've never used weed, never intend to either. My choice.

As Democrats, we like choice, don't we?

[Hekate]

71. As of this week, count me in. Given the number of meds I take, I checked with my doc first...

…and after ascertaining I just want relief from chronic insomnia, he gave me the go-ahead for gummies. My SIL, god love her, finds 1/2 gummy + a small amount of melatonin has brought her relief at night, so here I am.

I never used drugs in my youth, but in my 50s a visiting friend insisted I try some of her nightly pot. All it did was give me asthma and a hangover, which wasn’t my idea of a good time.

But Newsflash! to all the researchers who wonder why there’s an uptick in use among my generation — we are OLD now, goddammit, and we can’t sleep well, and everything hurts. I am pushing 78.

[MuseRider]

77. Nope

Kansas is one of only four states where marijuana remains fully illegal and will stay that way for at least the next year after Kansas lawmakers failed to consider any legislation on marijuana. None of the bills relating to marijuana received a hearing or a vote at the Statehouse.

[Happy Hoosier]

79. I have a friend who partakes regularly..' I've stopped going to his house...

It smells like a skunk lives there. How can people stand the stench?