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Marijuana use up for seniors as Boomers age

Matt Sedensky, Associated Press

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

(02-23) 04:00 PST Miami --In her 88 years, Florence Siegel has learned how to relax: A glass of red wine. Some classical music, preferably Bach. And every night like clockwork, she lifts a pipe to her lips and smokes marijuana.

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Long a fixture among young people, use of the country's most popular illicit drug is now growing among the AARP set, as the massive generation of Baby Boomers who came of age in the 1960s and '70s grows older.

The number of people aged 50 and older reporting marijuana use in the prior year went up from 1.9 percent to 2.9 percent from 2002 to 2008, according to surveys from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

The rise was most dramatic among 55- to 59-year-olds, whose reported marijuana use more than tripled from 1.6 percent in 2002 to 5.1 percent.

Observers expect further increases as 78 million Boomers born between 1945 and 1964 age. For many Boomers, the drug never held the stigma it did for previous generations. Some have always used it, while others are revisiting the habit in retirement, either for recreation or as a way to cope with the ailments of aging.

The drug is credited with relieving many problems linked to aging: aches and pains, glaucoma, macular degeneration. Patients in 14 states enjoy medical marijuana laws, but those elsewhere buy or grow the drug illegally to ease their conditions.

But there's also the risk that health problems already faced by older people can be exacerbated by regular marijuana use. Older users could be at risk for falls if they become dizzy, smoking it increases the risk of heart disease, and it can cause cognitive impairment, said Dr. William Dale of the University of Chicago Medical Center.

Siegel, who finds marijuana has helped her sleep better than pills ever did, was well into her 50s before she tried pot for the first time. She can muster only one frustration with the drug.

"I never learned how to roll a joint," she said. "It's just a big nuisance. It's much easier to fill a pipe."

This article appeared on page A - 7 of the San Francisco Chronicle

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/02/22/MNLP1C5C7Q.DTL#ixzz0gO03AZB0