A significant increase in cannabis use by the elderly has raised concerns about the safety risks for “grandma and grandpa.”
Fox News senior medical analyst Dr. Marc Siegel addressed the alarming trend, as new research published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine shows that those over 65 years old are increasingly using marijuana products.
Did you know? Older Americans are using cannabis at record levels, according to new research published by the American Medical Association. pic.twitter.com/dSqhXq1E2g
— OHCANN (@ohcanncoalition) June 4, 2025
“The last thing we need among our cherished older people who are trying to hang on to optimal functioning as long as possible is something addicting that actually pushes them in the direction of suboptimal performance,” Siegel, a professor of medicine and medical director of Doctor Radio at NYU Langone Medical Center, wrote in an op-ed published by Fox News.
He unpacked “several misconceptions” about using marijuana products, including the idea that “marijuana is somehow safer than alcohol or cigarettes.”
Siegel cited a University of California San Francisco study that showed that “THC, the active ingredient in marijuana products, damages the lining of blood vessels (which can lead to hypertension, heart attacks and strokes), just as much as cigarette smoke does.”
“It found it stiffens your blood vessels – the inner lining of it – increasing your risk for heart attack, stroke, and high blood pressure.”@DrMarcSiegel reacts to major new study that shows 60 million Americans who regularly smoke marijuana or use gummies could be at an… pic.twitter.com/qaRVz0L4Ry
— Fox News (@FoxNews) June 2, 2025
He also noted the perils of combining alcohol and marijuana, as another study found the number of vehicle crashes involving both has doubled in the last 2o years.
“Another misconception is that marijuana is safe for people who can’t sleep or are having anxiety problems. In fact, cannabis can lead to IQ decline, poorer learning or processing, and tap cognitive reserves, especially problematic in seniors who may already be showing signs of cognitive decline,” Siegel wrote.
“Another false idea prompting increased cannabis use is that the amount of THC in a cannabis product is a constant, when in fact the active psychoactive ingredient in cannabis keeps increasing in concentration. 20th century weed was far less potent than today’s 30-50% THC content weed,” he explained.
More older adults are using cannabis—and the trend tells a story medicine can’t ignore.
Here are the most eye-opening findings from the new 2025 JAMA study on seniors and cannabis use:
https://t.co/T4TrdNiyPE✅ Use in 65+ adults rose 45% in 2 years
✅ Women’s use jumped…— Dr Caplan (@drcaplan) June 4, 2025
Siegel warned about the calls for full legalization and increased recreational use of marijuana as “even the medical uses of marijuana products have never been proven.”
“But the notion that bothers me the most as a practicing internist is, that cannabis is supposed to be medically useful for chronic pain or sleeplessness and that somehow this sanctions its use for everything,” he wrote.
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Originally from New York, Powers graduated from New York University and eventually made her way to sunny South Florida. Powers also contributes to BizPac Review.
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