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Cannabis use among older adults on the rise

Posted at 2:08 PM, Feb 24, 2020
and last updated 2020-02-24 14:08:50-05

(CNN) - An increasing number of senior citizens are smoking pot, according to a new study from New York University.

Research published Monday in the Journal of the American Medical Association Internal Medicine shows the number of people over 65 years old who now smoke marijuana or use edibles doubled between 2015 and 2018.

Doctors from New York University's School of Medicine analyzed data from the national survey on drug use and health.

In 2006, less than one percent of adults over 65 reported using marijuana products in the past year.

In the newly published study, by 2015 that number had doubled to more than 2 percent.

By 2018, it had doubled again, to nearly 4.5 percent of seniors over 65 using weed.

Use was highest among women, minorities, and seniors who were married, college educated and those with mental-health issues.