Booklet details cannabis and older adults

An easy-to-understand new booklet provides a comprehensive and detailed look at cannabis use for older adults at a time when some seniors wonder if cannabis might help with some of the aches and pains of aging.

Be Wise, Cannabis and Older Adults is a free booklet published this year by Active Aging Canada and details research on cannabis use in older adults gathered from across Canada and around the world.

The information is presented in an objective manner and is designed to help inform wise decision making.

The authors report cannabis use by adults 65 years and older is increasing faster than any other age group. In Canada in 2019, 6.6% of older adults reported using cannabis. That is up from 1% in 2012.

According to the publication, most older adult users have therapeutic reasons for using cannabis. They say their main reasons for trying cannabis are to see if it helps with aging and the side effects of chronic disease. They see it as an alternative therapy.

Older adults use medicinal cannabis for:

• pain

• anxiety and depression

• sleep problems

• as an alternative to a prescription drug, and,

• to achieve a better quality of life.

The plain language booklet is divided into eight important topics:

• Older Canadians and cannabis use

• Facts about cannabis

• Cannabis and the law

• Therapeutic benefits

• Side effects and risks

• Aging and cannabis

• Talking to your doctor

• Dosing and your health condition

The 35-page booklet is available in 17 languages. Be Wise, Cannabis and Older Adults can be viewed online, downloaded or ordered in single and bulk copies. Visit Active Aging Canada, www.activeagingcanada.ca

Various topics from the publication are availabile in audio format on the Active Aging Canada YouTube channel: youtube.com/c/ActiveAgingCan ada