Cannabis is stereotypically associated with teenagers and young adults, but the real demographic may surprise
you. As our laws (and cultural attitudes) are coming to
reflect the current scientific understanding of Cannabis
as a medicine, more and more elderly people are
beginning to try medical marijuana – and many are
finding that Cannabis renders relief they couldn’t obtain
from conventional medications alone. If your elderly
parent suffers from a serious health condition like cancer,
arthritis, or glaucoma, you may want to consider
encouraging them to explore the health benefits of
medical marijuana.
As numerous medical studies about marijuana have
shown, Cannabis can help to relieve the effects of a wide
variety of illnesses and conditions. Unfortunately,
thanks to our country’s historical attitudes toward the
purported harms of Cannabis use, many elderly
individuals miss out on getting the pain relief they
deserve. As a result, senior citizens may need some
gentle encouragement to get them to start thinking
about using medical marijuana.
People who are 60, 70, or 80 years old today were
born during the period from 1935 to 1955. Beginning
with the austerity of the Great Depression, this is the
time period that gave us Reefer Madness, the Marijuana
Tax Act, and a widespread propaganda campaign against
the “evil weed.” When you imagine the 1950s, you think
about Leave it to Beaver and commercials for appliances
– not progressive attitudes toward illegal drugs.
Even today, with a bevy of hard scientific data
supporting its legitimate medical usage, Cannabis
remains highly controversial. It is perfectly
KNOWLEDGE
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