Baby boomers are the fastest-growing group of cannabis users in the United States and also happen to possess half of the nation’s $140 trillion in wealth. As such, a bit more attention is being paid to this 73-million-member group among analysts and researchers who are asking why and how much weed their parents and grandparents are consuming.
To answer one of those questions, seniors born between 1946 and 1964 (with their $78.3 trillion in assets) are consuming weed with great gusto, especially in the past 8 years when their consumption tripled.
Why? There's No Negative Impact
Scientists honed in on this demographic of pot smokers and found that consumption of whole-plant cannabis (old school style, of course) does not have a negative impact on cognition. In fact, the opposite is true.
A study done at the University of Colorado Boulder examined the effects of cannabis use in a group of adults between 60 and 88 with no history of alcohol or other substance abuse.
Researchers found that while high THC levels can have negative effects on the adolescent brain, quite the opposite is the case with older brains. Indeed, senior cannabis users, compared to non-users, had significantly greater neuronal communication between the cerebellum and hippocampus.
Age-related changes in the endocannabinoid system (ECS), a complex cell-signaling system in the brain and body that helps maintain homeostasis, include a decrease in the number of cannabinoid receptors throughout the brain. This decrease correlates with increased levels of inflammation in the brain, which can lead to a loss of neurons in the hippocampus, the learning and memory area wherein we don’t want any neuron losses.
"Low-dose, daily cannabis use after age 55 might effectively reduce the degenerative effects of chronic brain inflammation," said Gary Wenk Ph.D., a scientist not involved in the study.
CNN’s Dr. Sanjay Gupta Concurs
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