About 8.9% of Americans age 65 and older reported using cannabis in the past year.
Among those older adults, 11.4% met the criteria for cannabis use disorder.
More frequent cannabis use was linked to a greater likelihood of developing the disorder.
Cannabis use is becoming increasingly common among Americans age 65 and older. But a new study suggests that some older adults who use cannabis may also be experiencing a pattern of use that can interfere with daily life.
Researchers from the University of California San Diego and other institutions found that 11.4% of older adults who had used cannabis in the past year met the criteria for cannabis use disorder, or CUD. That's more than one in nine people in this group.
Cannabis use disorder refers to a pattern of cannabis use that causes problems or interferes with everyday life. The researchers noted that older adults may face some additional risks from cannabis because of age-related changes in the body, chronic health conditions, and the use of prescription medications.
“While there is a lot of attention on how cannabis may help common chronic symptoms older adults experience or the possible acute adverse effects in this population, less focus has been on cannabis use disorder,” researcher Benjamin Han, M.D. said in a news release.
“It is important to recognize that any psychoactive substance, including cannabis, can lead to a harmful pattern of use, including among older adults.”
How did researchers study cannabis use?
For the study, researchers analyzed data from the 2021 through 2024 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. The survey is designed to provide a nationally representative look at substance use among people living in the U.S.
The researchers focused on 21,189 adults aged 65 and older who participated in the survey. They looked at whether participants had used cannabis within the previous 12 months or 30 days, how frequently they used it and how they consumed it.
The researchers also looked for signs of CUD using 11 criteria from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, or DSM-5. People who met at least two of those criteria were considered to have CUD. Researchers classified cases as mild, moderate, or severe based on the number of criteria met.
Because this was an analysis of survey data collected at a point in time, the researchers described the findings as exploratory rather than proof that cannabis use caused CUD.
Most cases were mild, but frequent use stood out
Among older adults who had used cannabis during the previous year, 11.4% met the criteria for CUD. Most cases were considered mild: 76% were classified as mild, while 20.1% were moderate and 3.9% were severe.
The most common signs among people who met the criteria included spending a significant amount of time obtaining, using, or recovering from cannabis and experiencing cravings.
How often someone used cannabis also appeared to matter. Older adults who used cannabis on at least 300 days during the previous year were nearly four times as likely to meet the criteria for CUD as those who used it less frequently.
Smoking was the most common method of cannabis use, reported by 65.8% of older adults who had used cannabis in the previous year. About 40.5% reported eating or drinking cannabis products, while 15.4% reported vaping.
The researchers said the findings highlight the importance of discussing cannabis use during routine healthcare, particularly as more older adults use cannabis for medical and other health-related reasons.