Home Growers Corner
Getting Old Ain ’ t No Drag
Seniors use cannabis the same as everyone else .
by Jay Richardson , contributing writer
The Rolling Stones have an old song called “ Mother ’ s Little Helper .” The song begins with Mick Jagger singing the lyric , “ What a drag it is getting old .” The song was released in 1966 , the same year that Mick and his writing partner , Keith Richards , had their 23rd birthdays . I would say that any knowledge they may have had about getting old was purely speculative .
It turns out their premonition was , however , to a certain extent , at least partially accurate . As someone who qualifies for a senior citizen ’ s discount at the marijuana dispensary , getting old can be somewhat of a drag . The Rolling Stones song is about needing something to provide relief from the pressure created by living life . Mick and Keith were writing about Valium when
they composed “ Mother ’ s Little Helper ,” but they should have been writing about the substance they were using at the time . It seems that cannabis can be a very effective antidote for aging .
I was inspired to write this article because I saw a documentary on CNN hosted by Dr . Sanjay Gupta . Dr . Gupta is a highly regarded neurosurgeon who is also a popular television news reporter . Hey Doc , how about saving some jobs for other people ? Dr . Gupta was opposed to marijuana use until a few years ago when he saw the miracles that CBD has produced for children with seizure disorders . Since then , he has observed the benefits that other age groups have received from the wonder plant , and he is now a staunch advocate in support of medical marijuana . The documentary I watched was about cannabis use by senior citizens . I was like , “ Hey , I know a little about that subject !”
I thought it would be a cool topic to talk to a bunch of people in my age group ( seniors ) and ask them why they use marijuana . It turns out that old people use cannabis for the same reasons as everyone else , ranging from purely recreational to preverbal wonder drug . Many seniors tell me cannabis , whether medical or recreational , improves their quality of life . Having alternative ( legal ) medications that can make you feel better and also remain functional is not always what happens with many prescription drugs .
When people say that “ age is just a number ,” they are absolutely correct . I know people who are healthy and active well past age eighty . Other friends and relatives , me included , have developed serious medical conditions much sooner . Though it happens to us on different schedules , time catches up with everyone . It seems that good old-fashioned “ Mary Jane ” can help some seniors slow the clock down .
Some of my friends have used their retirement years to act like teenagers . I admit , today , I am still very similar to my younger self . I like to sit around , smoke pot , and listen to Led Zeppelin , and I ’ m tired of people hassling me about it , just as I did when I was seventeen . But seriously , now that my friends are retired and have more free time , more than one of them is becoming addicted to playing guitar . They find that smoking or enjoying some edibles enhances the guitarplaying experience and increases their creativity . Full disclosure — I ate a gummy about an hour before I sat down to write this . It gives my writing a different personality but does have one drawback . Did you ever spell a word so poorly that spell check has no idea what you were trying to spell ? It has access to every English word , yet what you just typed doesn ’ t look like any of them . Thanks to our copyeditor for catching those words !
I have one friend in his sixties who likes to smoke before he plays basketball ; yes , he actually plays basketball , running and jumping included . Not bad for an “ old man .” Another buddy , who recently retired after nearly fifty years working for the same large corporation and ending his career in upper management , has discovered the joys of spending the day doing dabs of concentrate .
36 October 2023