Medical Cannabis Can Revolutionize Senior Health Care

We Need a Radical Rethink of the 65+ Health Care Landscape
Over the next four years more people in the U.S. will turn 65 annually than ever before — representing the biggest surge in retirement age Americans in history.
While this colossal uptick will see 4.1 million Americans enter their golden years by the end of 2027, it will also see a massive jump in demand for advanced medical care and enrollments in already-strained programs like Medicare.
As the “peak 65” population unleashes a tidal wave across our health care systems, we need to radically rethink the senior health care landscape — and we need to do it fast.

10,000
Americans turn 65 every day
10-15%
Yearly increase in cannabis usage 65+
10-15% Yearly increase in Cannabis usage among adults 65+
69%
Physicians approve of CBD treatment options
69% of physicians believe that CBD is a good treatment option for their patients
$64B
in annual savings to the U.S. health care system
Cost Of CBTs Is Lower Than Traditional Meds (Average spending, Adults 65+)
Integrating Medical Cannabis Into Senior Health Programs Could Profoundly Transform Senior Care
Seniors have the highest health care costs and rates of hospital utilization, and nearly one-third take five or more pharmaceuticals every day. As a result, too many seniors are straddled with high costs and low efficacy rates, which medical cannabis wholly side steps.
Seniors are already the fastest growing group of cannabis users in the United States, and many are already using cannabis as a transformative solution for age-related conditions like chronic pain, anxiety, insomnia, depression, nausea from cancer treatment, and even neurodegenerative disorders like dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
Integrating medical cannabis into existing programs like Medicare Advantage could provide millions of seniors with life-changing alternative therapies at a fraction of the cost of traditional pharmaceutical drugs.

The Latest
Op-Ed
Lexington Herald-Leader: Kentucky’s Medical Cannabis Program Is on the Right Track But Leaves Seniors Behind
January 29, 2025
Press Release
The Commonwealth Project to Participate in DEA Rescheduling Marijuana Preliminary Hearing in December
November 22, 2024
Op-Ed
MJ Biz Daily: For marijuana research, rescheduling would be only the beginning
August 23, 2024
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