Senior and stoned: Survey notes rise in marijuana use grows among older adults as boomers age

Older adults’ marijuana use up; boomers cited

MIAMI — Some Baby Boomers aren’t giving up smoking pot as they age. Others are coming back to it as they retire.

A survey by the federal government found the percentage of people 50 and older using marijuana went from 1.9 percent in 2002 to 2.9 percent in 2008.

The rise was most dramatic among 55- to 59-year-olds. Their reported marijuana use more than tripled from 1.6 percent in 2002 to 5.1 percent.

Observers expect further increases as 78 million boomers born between 1945 and 1964 age.

For many of them, smoking pot was something they at least tried in high school or college and doesn’t have the stigma it had for those born earlier.

Some users are also looking for ways to cope with the normal aches and pains of aging.