Senior Wellness ~
The Rise of Medical Cannabis for Adults Over 55
Cannabis is increasingly shown to improve functioning, and make a real impact on how aging adults can continue to live independently.
by Sara Figueroa, Contributing Writer
After joining BeLeaf Medical and Swade Dispensaries in June 2025, I have been using my experience as a gerontologist( a person who helps people navigate the aging process) to access the aging services network and spread the word about cannabis and BeLeaf Medical’ s Sinse Brand of wellness products.
People often ask me about how I became an aging specialist. Gerontology is usually a second career for most people, often inspired by dealing with issues of aging parents. However, I found the entire field of gerontology fascinating early on and chose to attend graduate school to become an aging specialist directly after earning my bachelor’ s degree.
As more states began expanding their medical cannabis programs, I began educating myself about how different cannabinoids work to help common conditions of aging. It is a true passion of mine to deliver this education to older adults in our community— those who have been deprived of this information due to prohibition. Overall, many aging specialists support the use of medical cannabis for their clients— the safety profile of cannabis is superior to almost any other substance that humans consume, and the increase in functioning is easy to see.
Through events like municipal senior fairs, community classes, and provider networking, I am reaching the large population of older adults who don’ t use cannabis because they don’ t know how to access it. On the flipside, I am also talking to aging services providers to help them understand how cannabis improves quality of life for their clients and patients.
20 January 2026
In 2025, BeLeaf and Swade supported an end-of-life conference where attendees gathered to discuss death and dying in a supportive environment. Hospice providers strongly endorse cannabis use at the end of a person’ s life, and we helped both providers and patients learn more about how to access cannabis for that purpose.
At a very different type of event the same month, we hosted a happy hour at a 55-plus community, where residents could sample cannabis products and learn how Swade’ s delivery process works.
While I am out at events for older adults, I always meet a few people who are already benefiting from cannabis medicine. Topicals and edibles are very popular, but believe it or not, people older than 55 use cannabis in all the forms that everyone aged 21-plus enjoys!
Increasingly, people across the world are using cannabis as a medicine every day. Nearly half of the world’ s population has some access to legal cannabis. Yet, in the United States, cannabis medicine is still an out-of-pocket expense as a“ federally” Schedule I drug. Therefore, cannabis cannot be covered by Medicare, Medicaid, or private health insurance. Without FDA approval, these providers can not pay for cannabis medicine even if they wanted to.
This leaves millions of Americans to cover the monthly cost of their medication and seek information without professional guidance. Many dispensaries are empathetic to this reality and offer discounts for veterans, people over age 60, and people with medical marijuana cards. Loyalty programs can also help lower expenses on those tried-and-true products you have found work well for you.
The lack of medical insurance coverage for cannabis products is unfortunate because they ultimately cost far less than pharmaceuticals. For example, Stelara— a drug commonly prescribed for Crohn’ s disease— costs $ 61,223 without insurance coverage for a six-week dose. Yet, there are cannabis products that are very effective and much cheaper. The Gut tablets from Curio Wellness have been reported by consumers to work extremely well, and cost less than $ 75 for six weeks’ worth. This is not to suggest that cannabis is a replacement for a drug like Stelara, though; it is only an example of the cost difference.
We all need to advocate more for the acceptance of medical cannabis use. Even though it still feels taboo, speak up about how cannabis medicine is helping you and your quality of life. There is no shame in using cannabis in combination with prescription drugs or as a solution where pharmaceuticals have failed. As more Americans openly endorse cannabis, the hope is that one day it will be accepted as a reimbursable medicine.
One of the greatest limitations of cannabis as medicine currently is the lack of research showing exactly how cannabis interacts with the human endocannabinoid system to treat symptoms or diseases. Despite the extreme limitations imposed by prohibition, thousands of research studies are currently underway.
Many studies are examining how cannabis can help reduce the use of opioids for pain
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