.png)
You may be surprised to learn that more senior citizens are using marijuana than ever before. But, it makes sense to those who are aware of the incredible healing properties of cannabis. Missouri legalized medical marijuana in 2018, finally allowing those with a medical card to get legal, natural, relief.
There are hundreds of medical conditions that can be treated with cannabis. Many senior citizens find that medical marijuana allows them to return to a quality of life that they never thought they’d see again. It is effective in treating chronic pain, increasing appetite, increasing the quality of sleep, and can help patients suffering from Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, Multiple Sclerosis, and so much more.
Medical marijuana use among seniors jumped 75 percent in the three years from 2015 to 2018, and has continued to rise. Senior citizens deserve to live full, abundant lives and are finding that cannabis allows them to get more out of each day. Let’s take a look at some of the reasons senior citizens are getting their medical cards:
The Stigma of Marijuana Use is Going Away
For many decades, the public perception has been that those who use marijuana are lazy, unambitious, have a low intellect and a bad case of cannabis-induced munchies. Now that legislation is making medical marijuana legal in states across America, the public is starting to catch up with the truth that the stoner stereotype simply isn’t true.
These days, we know that marijuana is an effective tool in helping your overall well being. Professional athletes are endorsing cannabis. People are using marijuana to lose weight and enhance creativity. Marijuana is helping patients get their life back, and people are starting to have conversations with the senior citizens in their lives about the benefits of using cannabis.
Marijuana is Legal
Legalization is a big deal, especially for older Americans. I can’t imagine my grandmother going down to the park to score an eighth to help with her chronic pain. Like most senior citizens, if something is against the law, she assumes it is bad.
Now that marijuana isn’t an illicit product that has to be purchased on the black market from a dealer who is risking a prison sentence, people are free to get legal, natural relief. Marijuana is regulated by the state, so seniors can relax, knowing they are getting safe, quality medicine.
Cannabis can treat chronic pain
A recent study conducted by the University of California at San Diego found that three-fifths of senior marijuana patients reported using cannabis for the first time as older adults. This is not surprising when you consider the amount of senior citizens who live in chronic pain.
Marijuana can be a very effective pain reliever that can get seniors up and moving again. Many conditions that older Americans deal with cause a level of pain that leaves them either homebound or with limited mobility. When seniors discover that marijuana could give them a better quality of life that may let them return to the activities they love, they are usually more open to the idea of cannabis.
According to Dr. Peter Grinspoon of the Harvard Medical School blog, cannabis is “quite effective for the chronic pain that plagues millions of Americans, especially as they age.”
Dr. Grinspoon goes on to mention that cannabis has been known to decrease tremors in Parkinson’s patients, treat fibromyalgia, interstitial cystitis, endometriosis, pain associated with HIV, irritable bowel syndrome, Crohn’s disease and “most other conditions where the final common pathway is chronic pain.”
Medical marijuana can be an effective alternative to opioids.
The opioid epidemic has left many people looking for alternative methods to treat chronic pain. Many cannabis patients are using marijuana as a way to reduce their dependence on opioids and other prescription medications that can be dangerous and expensive.
Opioids can also have a sedative effect. Those who have replaced opioids with cannabis often find they are able to resume their previous activities without feeling completely out of it and disengaged.
Cannabis can treat anxiety and depression
One in four older adults have reported anxiety and depression amid the coronavirus pandemic. Anxiety and depression can severely hinder the daily lives of those who suffer from them. The good news is that cannabis can help.
Many marijuana patients are microdosing cannabis to treat their anxiety without becoming impaired. Studies are also suggesting that marijuana may be an effective tool when it comes to fighting depression, and many are utilizing cannabis to combat Seasonal Affective Disorder.
You don’t have to smoke cannabis to receive its benefits.
If you want to receive all the healing benefits of medical marijuana, but you don’t want to smoke, you’re in luck. While smoking is definitely a viable option, and the most popular one, there are many additional ways to get relief.
Dispensaries across Missouri have a wide variety of medical marijuana products such as vapes, edibles, tinctures, and even cannabis topicals.
We recommend speaking with a doctor who specializes in cannabis treatments about your own preferences and what you are looking to get out of your experience with medical marijuana. Bring those recommendations with you to your local dispensary.
Seniors still have a lot of living to do.
Senior citizens deserve to live a life of abundance. Medical marijuana may be the tool to giving seniors a better quality of life. Cannabis is being used to treat chronic pain, insomnia, and to combat depression and PTSD and a myriad of conditions that often hold older Americans back. It’s safely regulated by the state. It’s legal. It’s medicine.
Marijuana is medicine.
Medical marijuana can improve the quality of life and ease the symptoms of many conditions that are common among senior citizens. To purchase cannabis, you’ll need a valid Missouri medical card. We can help you with that. Our doctors are ready to take you through a quick and easy evaluation to see if you qualify. Schedule an appointment with a Missouri marijuana physician online by CLICKING HERE, or give us a call at (877) 303-3117 to talk to a patient support representative.
Doctors Who Care.
Relief You Can Trust.
At Missouri Marijuana Card, our mission is helping everyone achieve wellness safely and conveniently through increased access to medical marijuana. Our focus on education, inclusion, and acceptance will reduce the stigma for our patients by providing equal access to timely information and compassionate care.
Call us at (877) 303-3117, or simply book a medical marijuana evaluation to start getting relief you can trust today!
Check out Missouri Marijuana Card’s Blog to keep up to date on the latest medical marijuana news, tips, and information. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to join the medical marijuana conversation in Missouri!