The changing cannabis culture among older Americans: high hopes for chronic pain relief

Abstract

Older adults in the U.S. are increasingly using cannabis. Theoretical perspectives of scholars who have explained cannabis use include subcultural theory, normalization thesis, and the age-period-cohort paradigm. Our study examined what influences older adults’ cannabis use, and perceived outcomes of cannabis use. From April 2018 to January 2019, we conducted 12 focus groups with 82 adults aged 60 and older in Illinois, where medical cannabis was legally available beginning in 2014. We used an inductive thematic analysis to code and theme the focus group transcripts and compared the results to concepts and arguments of the three theoretical perspectives. We found four themes: cultural experiences influence older adults’ choice to use cannabis; medical culture and systems impact cannabis use; participants have to navigate a costly and time-consuming state system to use medical cannabis, and; participants experience positive outcomes when using cannabis. Although elements of the three theories can be identified in our findings, subcultural influences of baby boomer counterculture were only relevant for a subset of participants, while normalization of medical cannabis use was not supported by a state system separated from traditional medicine. Medical culture, physical age effects, and prior opioid use were very important in explaining older adults’ cannabis use.