Senior Citizens & Marijuana Use?

Every year more and more people are turning away from the mainstream pharmaceutical industry and looking to medical marijuana to treat their various ailments. For one demographic in particular, the lack of dizzying side effects from medical marijuana has a tremendous appeal. As surprising as it may seem, senior citizens are starting to flock to medicinal marijuana to help treat their symptoms, and recent studies show that the cannabis plant can have a wide range of impressive benefits for those in the over-65 age group.

As more people are starting to learn, medical marijuana can greatly relieve the pain associated with inflamed joints and digestive disorders, and scientists are also beginning to believe that the medication can be used to treat disorders such as high blood pressure, anxiety, insomnia, constipation, and even simple headaches. Additionally, marijuana has been found to be an appetite stimulant, which means that it can help get senior citizens eating on a regular basis. As it turns out, dramatic weight loss and a lack of appetite are considered to be major health risks for the elderly, and medical marijuana is able to help remove that risk.

Marijuana has also been found to be useful in treating glaucoma, which is the leading cause of blindness for people over 60.  Other research has found that medicinal marijuana use can also be used to help ward off Alzheimer’s disease, and there is a growing body of evidence that marijuana can have important cancer fighting properties as well.

Of course, there is still a significant stigma concerning marijuana use, especially among those of an older generation. In order to help remove this stigma, education is key, so here are a few key points that senior citizens should be aware of:

Marijuana is not addictive

Thanks to some seriously intense government propaganda in the past, many older people might believe that marijuana will turn users into helplessly-hooked addicts, but in reality this could not be further from the truth. In fact, quitting marijuana use, even after using it every single day for years, will have no more of a negative effect than quitting coffee does for a daily coffee drinker. You might get a little crankier than normal for a few days, but that is really the worst of what to expect after a significant amount of time and heavy use of the plant.

You can use marijuana and not get high

This might sound crazy to some people, but there are ways to make use of medical marijuana that won’t give the user a high. The best way to skirt the high and still feel the medicinal effects of marijuana is to use a substance known as cannabidiol, or CBD. CBD is an extract from the cannabis plant, but makes use of a part of the plant doesn’t carry the psychoactive properties traditionally associated with marijuana use. Still, however, CBD users can receive a tremendous benefit from using the extract, and researchers have discovered that cannabidiol can be useful in treating a range of ailments from epilepsy to anxiety.

You don’t need to smoke marijuana

Many people might not like the feeling of drawing smoke into their lungs, and others might have a compromised respiratory condition that makes smoking anything totally out of the question. Luckily for these folks, they can still enjoy the many benefits medical marijuana has to offer. Oils and ointments are available that can provide users with the medication, and a tremendous range of foodstuffs from butters to chocolates and baked goods are now available. This means that those curious in medicinal marijuana can simply look out for some of their favorite foods, find a version of that favorite that is infused with marijuana, and then begin to sit back and enjoy the relaxing effects after their meal.

Seniors interested in medicinal marijuana should check in with their doctors and be made aware of the local laws regarding the treatment. For many, however, the switch from pharmaceuticals to natural medicinal marijuana will improve their quality of life dramatically, and can prove to be a truly life changing decision that will pave the way for brighter years ahead.

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