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

Much of the increase is associated with the legalization of cannabis.

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.