Green and grey don’t all the time go hand in hand.
Marijuana emergency room visits for Californians over 65 have exploded 1,800% since 2005 based on a latest study.
Accustomed to milder marijuana of their youth, older users are often unable to address the stronger forms now available to them, the report says.
A study conducted at the University of California, San Diego found that in 2005, 366 seniors went to the emergency room for marijuana-related problems.
In line with the report, in 2019 this number increased to 12,167.
“While cannabis use has been suggested to assist alleviate the chronic symptoms experienced by older adults, its potential unwanted effects may result in unintended consequences, including increased healthcare utilization related to its use,” the report said.
Lead creator Dr. Benjamin Han said the San Francisco Chronicle that almost all seniors likely sought help for marijuana-induced falls, paranoia, and cardiovascular problems.
“Lots of them have a history of cannabis experience and think they know learn how to use and cope with it, but often they do not and find yourself in the emergency department,” Han told the newspaper.
Increasingly older Americans are turning to marijuana to ease sleep problems, pain and the debilitating unwanted effects of cancer treatment.
While Han argued that marijuana could possibly be effective for older users, he cautioned that little clinical research has been done on the effects of legal marijuana.
“I feel the elderly could potentially profit the most from marijuana, but we do not know what products or what doses would help people the most,” he said.
He urged seniors considering using marijuana to accomplish that in consultation with their physicians.
While marijuana-related ER visits for the elderly proceed to rise, alcohol-related medical emergencies proceed to dwarf these numbers.
About 187,000 Californians over the age of 60 were hospitalized in 2020 for alcohol-related problems.
A separate study published last month found a 245% increase in cannabis-related calls to poison control centers for youngsters aged 6 to 16 since 2000.