A study has revealed that usage of marijuana among older Americans has ticked up by 75 percent in the last four years. In the past three years, the use of cannabis-based products has nearly doubled among elderly people above 65 years in the US. Researchers have followed the usage habit of cannabis of nearly 15000 people who are above the age of 65 years for three years. They have found out that the number of people using marijuana has shot up from 2.4 percent in 2015 to 4.2 percent in 2018. The participants have been asked about their habit of using cannabis, marijuana, hashish, grass, pot, and hash oil. Experts have tried to find out whether they have been inhaling, ingesting, or topically applying such drugs.
The study has also revealed that it is not just senior citizens who are taking marijuana; college-going students are also consuming cannabis-based drugs since 1983. Experts have found out that the use of cannabis has increased across all races and ethnic groups. A study from the University of Michigan has stated that 43 percent of youngsters in the US have agreed that they have used a form of pot at least once in the past year. This study has come out at a time when the cannabis industry in on the boom. As per the reports, the US marijuana industry has earned $11 billion in terms of consumer spending in 2018. The study has been published in the journal of the American Medical Association.
Many states in the US have legalized the use of marijuana. Around 33 states have approved marijuana for medicinal use. It has been legalized for recreational use in 10 states along with Washington DC. Nearly 62 percent of people have supported the legalization of marijuana in some or the other forms, according to the Pew Research center poll. Experts have said that this increase in usage of marijuana is not driven by the legalization rather social acceptability, in general, is the cause of rising usage of cannabis-based drugs. Researchers have found a significant increase in cannabis use among women as well. Women who are college-educated with high-income levels are more inclined towards the usage of marijuana.
