ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. â Marvin Yeoman, 74, had tried cannabis as a young adult, but for his wife, it was new.
âI never, never, ever even thought about marijuana when I was growing up â never in college, as a young adult or as a middle-aged adult,â said Rene Yeoman, 71. âIt was just not even something that was on my radar.â
The Land Oâ Lakes residents had both undergone recent major surgeries, so they gave in to their daughterâs suggestion to use the drug to treat chronic pain.
Rene Yeoman discovered she liked how edibles helped her sleep through the night and avoid the use of other medications.
And as seniors, the couple is in good company.
âWhen I go to the dispensary, there are more elderly people in there than there are young people,â said Marvin Yeoman.
Marijuana use is on the rise among older adults.
Last year, the proportion of adults 65 or older who reported recent cannabis use jumped by 18 percent, according to the 2020 National Survey of Drug Use and Health released last week, rising from 5.1 percent in 2019 to 6 percent in 2020.
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The spike comes on the heels of a steady trend of increased cannabis use among seniors over the last five years.
Whatâs more, in 2020, more older adults also reported using marijuana sometime in their lifetime â a jump from roughly 32 percent to 36 percent â signaling a possible cultural shift in older adultsâ willingness to open up about past tokes.
âItâs accepted now,â Marvin Yeoman said. âYou used to have to sneak in the back alley to purchase it, but now you can just walk right into the store and buy it, just like you would go to Publix or Winn-Dixie.â
In Florida, people with a medical marijuana card can legally purchase THC products throughout the state.
Both Marvin and Rene Yeoman have one. While they said itâs expensive to renew â costing a few hundred dollars every eight months â obtaining a card was simple.
âItâs actually very, very easy,â Marvin Yeoman said. âThey ask you a few questions, you fill out paperwork on if youâve had surgery or any pain, and then the doctor reviews it. Nine times out of 10, youâre going to qualify.â
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Taking cannabis means Rene Yeoman doesnât have to take as many other prescription drugs, she said.
âIâve been on just about everything, for either migraines or my back or whatever,â she said. âWe donât like to take those heavy medications, of which you can become addicted, you know? With the edibles, you just kind of seem to just relax.â
Sundays belong to seniors at Trulieve, a cannabis company that operates 19 dispensaries in the Tampa Bay area.
The business, which is one of the leading cannabis providers in Florida, offers a 10 percent Senior Sunday discount to customers over the age of 55.
Trulieve declined to provide data on the proportion of its clientele in this age range, but a spokesperson noted that âseniors represent a large percentage of registered patients in Floridaâ and that the company has seen âan upward trend in cannabis use among seniorsâ in recent years.
Prior to the pandemic, the company offered monthly Silver Tours, which sent a cannabis advocate to long-term care facilities throughout the state, including seven in Tampa Bay.
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âWeâve found that, more than almost any other audience, seniors are incredibly receptive to cannabis and its medicinal benefits â in fact, seniors are some of our most educated and passionate Trulievers,â said Valda Coryat, chief marketing officer of Trulieve, in an emailed statement.
More research is needed on the impacts of marijuana use on older adults.
Dr. Juan Sanchez-Ramos, a researcher and professor of neurology at the University of South Florida, said studies show marijuana may help reduce symptoms like insomnia and irritability in Alzheimerâs patients, improve motor symptoms from Parkinsonâs, diminish arthritic pain and combat sleep disorders â conditions that are all common among older adults.
Too high a dose of THC can cause confusion and short-term memory problems in older adults, however, Sanchez-Ramos said. CBD in excess doses can in turn interact with the metabolism of other drugs in the system â so itâs important for seniors to consult with their primary doctor prior to using cannabis products.
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âTHC is safe for older people and wonât cause confusion or disorientation at modest and low doses,â he said. âBut it should be definitely supervised by a physician. If your physician has no experiences with cannabinoids and your condition, I would try to find a medical cannabis expert who does.â
Sanchez-Ramos said he still recommends more traditional treatments before referring patients to a cannabis expert he trusts.
âThis is basically an alternative treatment for when individuals arenât doing well with the standard pharmaceuticals,â he said. âIn some people, it may be actually much better, but it isnât the first thing that comes to mind.â
The Yeomans are pleased with their results. Theyâre trying to convince Marvinâs brother and sister-in-law, who both have chronic conditions, to give edibles a try.
âIt should be legal, really,â said Rene Yeoman. âItâll cut out a lot of the big pharma money thatâs going into producing drugs like opioids â and youâd take away the punishment for it, so you donât have millions of people in jail for doing it.â
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