They just want to feel better, not get high
As the body ages and familiar remedies lose their promise, a growing number of older adults are quietly turning to cannabis — not in search of euphoria, but in search of relief. Across the United States, people over 60 are adopting cannabis faster than any other demographic, guided not by their physicians but by the whispered recommendations of friends and family. This quiet migration toward an unconventional remedy reveals something enduring about human nature: when suffering persists and medicine feels inadequate, people find their own way forward — and the institutions meant to guide them are often the last to know.
- Adults over 60 are adopting cannabis faster than any other age group, yet the medical system has barely registered the shift.
- Most are driven by chronic pain, poor sleep, and a desire to reclaim daily life — not by any interest in intoxication.
- Without physician guidance, older adults are relying almost entirely on friends, family, and secondhand stories to make significant health decisions.
- Many land on combination CBD-THC products as a perceived 'Goldilocks' balance, navigating a complex market largely by intuition and anecdote.
- Healthcare providers are largely absent from these conversations, leaving a widening gap between patient behavior and clinical awareness.
Cannabis use among adults over 60 is rising faster than in any other age group, yet the medical establishment has barely begun to understand why — or how to respond. A new study from researchers at University of Utah Health and University of Colorado Boulder offers a revealing portrait of who these people are and what they are looking for.
The researchers spoke with 169 adults over 60 who were purchasing cannabis for the first time. What emerged was not a story of recreation but of relief. These were people managing chronic pain, struggling with sleep, and hoping to reclaim enough comfort to enjoy time with the people they loved. As senior author Angela Bryan put it, they weren't interested in getting high — they simply wanted to feel better. Many had turned to cannabis because pharmaceuticals had failed them, or because they believed cannabis offered a different and more promising path.
What shaped their choices, however, was rarely a doctor's advice. Friends and family members had shared their own experiences, and those conversations carried enormous weight. Word of mouth drove decisions far more than any clinical guidance, and discussions with physicians were largely absent from the picture. Older adults were navigating consequential health choices on their own, armed with secondhand accounts and independent research.
Product selection added another layer of complexity. Faced with CBD-only, THC-only, and combination options, most people gravitated toward products containing both compounds — a middle ground they perceived as offering balanced benefits, a kind of Goldilocks solution. The study was conducted in Colorado, where recreational cannabis is legal, but researchers believe the underlying motivations hold across legal contexts.
What the findings make plain is that a significant and growing population is making meaningful health decisions without meaningful medical support. Researchers see both an opportunity and an obligation: better resources for patients, more open conversations between physicians and older adults, and a healthcare system willing to meet people where they already are.
Cannabis use among people over 60 is climbing faster than in any other age group. Yet the medical establishment has barely begun to understand why older adults are turning to it, which products they're choosing, or how they arrive at those choices. A new study from researchers at University of Utah Health and University of Colorado Boulder offers some answers—and raises questions about a widening gap between patients and their doctors.
The researchers spoke with 169 adults over 60 who were about to buy cannabis for the first time. What emerged was a portrait of people seeking relief, not recreation. They wanted to manage chronic pain, sleep better, and reclaim some quality of life—to spend time with family and friends without discomfort. "For the most part, we found that these folks aren't really interested in getting high," says Angela Bryan, a psychology and neuroscience professor at CU Boulder and senior author of the study. "They just want to feel better." Rebecca Delaney, an assistant professor of population health sciences at University of Utah Health and the study's first author, observed that older adults were drawn to cannabis because they believed it offered more effective relief than pharmaceutical options, or at least a different path forward when existing treatments had failed them.
What struck the researchers most was how these decisions got made. Friends and family members had shared stories—anecdotes about cannabis helping with pain, improving sleep, lifting mood. Those conversations carried weight. Word of mouth shaped choices far more than any clinical guidance. "They brought a lot of feedback from other people to inform their opinions," Delaney notes. "Word of mouth has a really big impact." Discussions with doctors were conspicuously absent from the picture. Older adults were navigating a significant health decision largely on their own, armed with secondhand accounts and whatever information they could gather independently.
The question of what to actually buy presented its own puzzle. Cannabis products come in different forms and compositions. Some contain only CBD, the non-intoxicating compound. Others contain THC, the psychoactive ingredient. Many contain both. Older adults perceived CBD-only products as therapeutically useful, often based on claims they'd heard. THC seemed to offer mood benefits. But most people ended up choosing combination products—a middle ground they saw as offering the best of both worlds, a "Goldilocks option" that balanced multiple potential benefits.
The study was conducted in Colorado, where recreational cannabis is legal, so the findings may not translate directly to states where only medical use is permitted. But Delaney suspects the core motivation remains consistent: older adults are reaching for cannabis to address chronic pain, poor sleep, or mental health struggles, regardless of legal status. What's clear is that a significant population is making these choices without meaningful input from healthcare providers. The researchers see an opportunity—and a need. Better informational resources for both patients and physicians could help. More conversations between doctors and older adults about cannabis could ensure people feel supported and informed when exploring alternatives to traditional pharmaceuticals. Right now, that conversation largely isn't happening.
Citações Notáveis
For the most part, we found that these folks aren't really interested in getting high. They just want to feel better.— Angela Bryan, professor of psychology and neuroscience at CU Boulder
Word of mouth has a really big impact on how older adults decide which cannabis products to use.— Rebecca Delaney, assistant professor of population health sciences at University of Utah Health
A Conversa do Hearth Outra perspectiva sobre a história
Why are older adults turning to cannabis now, when they didn't before?
They're not necessarily new to cannabis—they're new to considering it as medicine. Many have lived with chronic pain or sleep problems for years, tried pharmaceuticals, and hit a wall. Cannabis feels like a different option, something they haven't exhausted yet.
But they're not talking to their doctors about it?
Rarely. They're talking to friends. A neighbor mentions it helped her arthritis, a friend's husband sleeps better—that's the conversation that matters to them. It's trusted, it's personal, and it doesn't require navigating the medical system.
So they're flying blind?
Not entirely. They're gathering information, just not from physicians. They're reading, asking around, trying to understand CBD versus THC. But yes, there's no clinical oversight, no one checking for drug interactions or monitoring outcomes.
What would change if doctors got involved?
Everything, potentially. A physician could help match the right product to the right person, watch for side effects, adjust dosing. Right now, older adults are essentially experimenting on themselves—carefully, thoughtfully, but alone.
Is that dangerous?
It depends. For many, cannabis is gentler than opioids or sleeping pills. But without medical guidance, someone could choose the wrong product, take too much, or miss a serious interaction with their other medications. The risk isn't that cannabis is inherently unsafe—it's that people are making significant health decisions without professional input.