BOULDER, Colo. — A new study found that more and more people over the age of 60 are starting to turn to cannabis products to help with health issues. 

The study, conducted by researchers at CU Boulder and the University of Utah, sought to explain why older adults are the fastest-growing demographic of cannabis users. 

Researchers conducted in-depth interviews with 169 Colorado older adults who did not currently use cannabis but were interested in trying it. Then after each participant used cannabis, they conducted follow up testing. 

The research shows that most of the adults wanted to try cannabis either to avoid using pharmaceuticals and the associated side effects, or as a “last resort” to treat health conditions. 

• 57% sought help for sleep
• 50% sought help for pain 
• 25% sought help for mental health issues

Most of the participants were not looking for high-THC products, according to the study, and many expressed concern about the effects of THC. 

“For the most part, we found that these folks aren’t really interested in getting high. They just want to feel better,” said senior author Angela Bryan, professor of psychology and neuroscience at CU Boulder, in a news release. 

However, she also said that most participants found products with both THC and CBD the most helpful. 

“We saw a lot of participants choose a combined product because there is some evidence that combining CBD with THC does tend to mitigate some of those more negative effects of acute THC use,” she said. “But interestingly, over the course of four weeks, when we asked participants how satisfied they were with their products, they actually tended to like the products with THC in them better.”

Bryan said that if you’re an older adult looking to experiment, you should start at a low dose first, especially with edibles.

See the full study, published in the JAMA Network Open journal Friday, here.