Adults over 65 may safely experience several health benefits by using marijuana, according to newly published research.
The research from Hebrew University and the Ben Gurion University of Negrev in Israel indicates that the “therapeutic use of cannabis is safe and efficacious in the elderly population,” SF Gate reports. The research team studied 2,736 patients above age 65 that started using marijuana as treatment for various health problems and found that a large majority noted exceptional benefits.
The study’s authors said, “After six months of treatment, 93.7% of the respondents reported improvement in their condition and the reported pain level was reduced from a median of 8 on a scale of 0-10 to a median of 4.”
According to the study, the most commonly reported health problems for using medical marijuana were pain and cancer. Experts determined that 18.1% of aging patients either reduced doses of opioid medications, or stopped using them completely.
The researchers said, “Cannabis can decrease the use of other prescription medicines, including opioids.”
Just a small number of minor negative effects were common among elders, such as dizziness and dry mouth.
A 2016 report by CBS News concluded that Americans ages 55 and over are the fastest growing age group of marijuana users in the country.
The authors concluded that, “The older population is a large and growing part of medical cannabis users. Our study finds that the therapeutic use of cannabis is safe and efficacious in this population.”
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