CDC Report: Middle-Age Cannabis Users More Frequent Than Teenage Users

According to a report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), middle-aged Americans are smoking weed more than teenagers for the first time since 2002 (Kim, 2016). 

The CDC report analyzed data from 2002 to 2014 and found that “older Americans across the board reported increases in cannabis use, with the highest increases reported among the elderly” (Kim, 2016). Those from age thirty-five to forty-four had an increase in use of 43 percent, while those aged forty-five to fifty-four had an increase of 48 percent. The largest jump was found in users aged fifty-five to sixty-four (455 percent) and past the age of sixty-five (333 percent). Cannabis users between the ages of twelve and seventeen saw a decline in use by 10 percent.  

When thinking about the reasons for the increase in elderly cannabis use, Christopher Ingraham of The Washington Post posited that “the elderly are using marijuana to relieve physical issues that come up with old age like pain and trouble sleeping” (Kim, 2016). 

Kim, V. (2016). Middle-aged Americans more likely to smoke weed than teens, report says. Retrieved from https://www.thefix.com/middle-aged-americans-more-likely-smoke-weed-teens-report-says