Marijuana for Aging Adults 

Whether or not you’re for or against marijuana, legalization is something that’s growing. With more and more states legalizing marijuana for medical reasons, and some people pushing for less federal regulation, there’s definitely some amazing and really good benefits that are therapeutic to medical cannabis that affects practically every single group out there. 

However, seniors could be the ones who benefit the most from this, since there are tons of medical conditions that this could help. There are more and more people reporting on it helping with chronic pain, epilepsy, Parkinson’s, some forms of cancer, and even just helping with sleep. It’s becoming more and more popular, and it’s something that, for the older population, it’s worth checking out. 

How it helps seniors 

While it’s still considered a schedule 1 drug, it’s still something that offers a bunch of benefits for variety of reasons. 

Cancer 

Cancer is one of the main conditions that medical cannabis can help with, especially since it helps to reduce nausea, and pain as well that is a part of chemotherapy. Dronabinol for example, is one that’s prescribed to hose who have cancer, and this is something that’s a main part of cannabis, and it’s approved to help with vomiting and nausea too. It also can help with the neuropathic pain that’s associated with this condition, something that a lot of people with cancer deal with.  As one gets older, cancer is something that they definitely want to look at, since it can help. 

MS 

Multiple sclerosis is something that affects quite a bit of the aging populace, and it’s something that creates muscle spasms that can make movement very painful. Marijuana that’s used for medical reasons can help with the symptoms that come with this, including the spasms, and also some of the pain, incontinence, insomnia, and also other problems that are associated with this condition, and what it does. 

Glaucoma 

This is a condition that leads to blindness and is something that’s seen in tons of adults over the age of 60. With medical cannabis, it can be used to help reduce the intraocular levels of pressure and helps to reduce optic nerve damage in those that deal with this. 

Parkinson’s

Parkinson’s disease is a condition that does cause issues with the movement, and it impacts the voluntary movement. About 1% of those that are seniors deal with this, and it results in movements that are slow, issues with speech, and they’re unable to move their body in ways that are jerking, stiff motions that are uncontrollable. However, with medical cannabis, this is something that offers neuroprotection to people who suffer from this, offering major antioxidant levels of properties and effects that protect your neurons and the brain from further oxidative damage. 

ALS 

This is something that’s also quite neurodegenerative and it’s something that impacts the way that you move. With more and more people getting diagnosed with this, and more and more of these being adults that are older, those who have ALS are able to benefit quite readily from this. 

Any side effects 

While this is something that’s good for seniors, there are a few downsides and side effects that could be there. It’s mostly based on the marijuana strain, the preparation quality, and also how you take it, which makes it possible for you to ensure that you get the side effects that you wnat from this. Usually, the side effects are mild though, such as they’re more hungry, a high feeling, drowsiness, lethargic measures and also it may change the mood, but those are all quite mild.