n CANNABIS
Since medical marijuana was legalized in California in
1996, some senior living facilities have already adopted rules
for storing and dispensing years ago, Read says. But expand-
ing those policies for recreational use can be complicated.
They must balance the needs and comfort of the community
with requests to use onsite. In many cases, Read notes, those
requests are coming from family exploring options for an
aging relative.
“The children of these senior communities residents ask,
‘Can my mom use this vape pen that helps her sleep at night?
Will you store the capsules that help him relax with this pain in
this foot?’” Read says. “Now that it’s legal in California, these
communities are realizing we have this policy of no smoking
inside, but how do we legally tell these people you can no lon-
ger have these medications? It’s tough from a policy perspec-
tive and from a marketing standpoint.”
Further complicating matters is the fact that facilities
receiving federal funding are prohibited from allowing use
of marijuana, which remains illegal on the federal level, on
the premises.
Sally Michael, president of the California Assisted Living
Association, says the group has been providing educational
sessions on the topic “in response to interest from members.”
Another session “examining state and federal laws, regulatory
requirements and clinical issues” is set for an industry confer-
ence and trade show in June.
Those discussions are sure to evolve, especially as the older
customer base for cannabis grows. Current trends for boomers
are expected to continue increasing as use becomes even more
normalized. And that will mean even more business for dis-
pensaries like F Street.
Purchases by seniors and boomers customers made up 24
percent of his sales so far this year — nothing to scoff at in a
college town where the median age is a bright-eyed 25. Given
the number of early retirees in the area, Read expects those
numbers to only grow in the years as more cannabis-loving cli-
ents mature into their elder years.
“Seniors are the fastest growing demographic,” he says.
“We have a lot of folks in that post-40 age demographic that we
absolutely want to create a great experience for too.” n
Torey Van Oot is a former political reporter for The Sacramento
Bee and currently covers politics and government for Minneso-
ta’s Star Tribune. On Twitter @ToreyVanOot.
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