Iowa City, IA: Approximately one in six middle-aged adults acknowledge having consumed cannabis within the past year, according to survey data published in the journal The Gerontologist.
Investigators affiliated with the University of Iowa’s College of Public Health assessed data from a nationally representative sample of Americans over the age of 50. They estimated that 17 percent of those between the ages of 50 and 64 had used cannabis in the past year, as had 4 percent of those age 65 and older.
About eight percent of middle-aged consumers had no prior lifetime history of cannabis use. Most respondents said that their attitudes toward cannabis had become more favorable as they grew older.
The study’s authors suggested that marijuana use by older adults would continue to increase, particularly as the use of medicinal cannabis products becomes more socially acceptable. “We expect cannabis use among late middle age and older Americans will at least double in the decade ahead,” they concluded. “As many as one of every five persons over 50 may be using cannabis in the year 2030, and mostly for a medical condition or symptoms.”
The study’s findings are consistent with those of others concluding that marijuana use among older Americans continues to increase and outpace all other age groups.
Full text of the study, “Unrelenting growth and diversification: Using the health and retirement study to illuminate cannabis use among aging Americans,” appears in The Gerontologist.
Clinical Trial: Inhaled Cannabis Effective At Relieving Migraine Pain
San Diego, CA: The inhalation of cannabis flower containing THC and CBD is superior to placebo in providing migraine relief, according to data published online on the National Library of Medicine website. The data has not yet been peer-reviewed.
Investigators affiliated with the University of California at San Diego assessed the safety and efficacy of herbal cannabis in 92 patients with persistent migraines. Patients were randomly assigned to vaporize one of four cannabis chemotypes (six percent THC, 11 percent CBD, six percent THC and 11 percent CBD, or placebo cannabis) following migraine onset.
Of the four chemotypes assessed, vaporized cannabis containing THC and CBD performed most effectively.
The study’s authors reported, “Vaporized 6% THC+11% CBD cannabis flower was superior to placebo for pain relief, pain freedom, and MBS [most bothersome symptom] freedom at 2 hours as well as 24-hour sustained pain freedom and sustained MBS freedom and 48-hour sustained MBS freedom.” THC/CBD cannabis was also superior to placebo at relieving migraine-related photophobia (light sensitivity) and phonophobia (sound sensitivity).
No serious adverse events were reported, regardless of the type of cannabis consumed.
“Future research should include multicenter studies and long-term studies of benefits and risks with repeated use,” investigators concluded.
A 2002 literature review of nine studies involving 5,600 subjects previously concluded: “Medical marijuana has a significant clinical response by reducing the length and frequency of migraines. … Due to its effectiveness and convenience, medical marijuana therapy may be helpful for patients suffering from migraines.”
Full text of the study, “Vaporized cannabis versus placebo for acute migraine: A randomized controlled trial,” is available online.
Germany: Lawmakers Advance Cannabis Liberalization Plan
Berlin, Germany: German lawmakers voted late last week in favor of a plan to permit adults to legally possess personal use quantities of cannabis.
The plan, which was overwhelmingly approved by members of Parliament’s lower house, allows residents ages 18 and older to possess (up to 25 grams) and home cultivate (up to three plants) cannabis. It also calls for the establishment of not-for-profit cannabis clubs, which will be permitted to grow and provide cannabis for their members.
Neither commercial cannabis production, retail sales, nor marijuana-related advertising is permitted under the measure. Marijuana sales to minors remain strictly forbidden, with offenders facing penalties of up to two years imprisonment.
Last year, similar legislation took effect in the European nation of Luxembourg. That followed a similar move in 2021 by lawmakers on the island of Malta.
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