Should We Be Worried That Our Baby Boomer Parents Are Smoking Too Much Weed?
“A sizeable new study released in September found that cannabis consumption has doubled among adults 50 to 64 over the last decade, bringing about serious shifts in weed marketing, education, and strategies for combating use disorder and addiction. The spike in interest among this demographic has also raised new questions and concerns about problematic use and potential health issues that are specific to older adults.
Increasing acceptance among seniors is all about dispelling myths that using cannabis means being a “half baked” stoner and exposing them to the range of options for consumption, many of which won’t actually leave you feeling high. If you present it to them in a way with a reasonable argument and good information, it’s kind of like the tables have turned.”
Curious cannabis users can now nibble on gummies or puff on vape pens, mix up tinctures or lather on CBD-laced lotions. But the many options — not to mention new lingo — can also be overwhelming.
Jeffrey Westman, a 55-year-old cannabis consultant based in Sebastopol, California, has set out to fill that knowledge gap, hosting “Cannabis 101” informational sessions for retirees and seniors in residential homes. The most frequent questions, he says, have to do with dosage and potency.
Industry veterans are also trying to bring the product to the people. Westman is among those pioneering a delivery service that will provide seniors with products dosed for their specific needs.
While the majority of advertising still focuses on luring the younger customers who make up a majority of market share, an increased emphasis on cannabis’ ability to enhance one’s “well-being, enjoy nature, [and] be at peace,” not to mention potential therapeutic benefits, might also appeal to older users, according to Beatriz H. Carlini, Ph.D., a social psychologist researching cannabis use at University of Washington’s Alcohol and Drug Abuse Institute. Carlini, who also has been invited to speak to retirement homes and senior gatherings, says most of the questions she gets are about pain management and the various forms of cannabis available today.”
*This is a very comprehensive and interesting article about the marketing of medical cannabis for the senior market and has some very progressive ideas that Colorado might be able to adopt.
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