Summary: Cannabis use among adults over 60 is the fastest-growing demographic in the U.S., yet their motivations and decision-making processes have largely remained a mystery. A new study reveals that this surge is driven by a quest for a better quality of life rather than a desire to “get high”.

Most older adults are seeking relief from chronic pain, insomnia, and mental health issues, often relying on word-of-mouth recommendations rather than medical advice to choose their products.

Key Research Findings

• Quality of Life Over Euphoria: The primary drivers for use among seniors are reducing pain, improving sleep, and enhancing the ability to enjoy time with loved ones. Participants explicitly stated they were not interested in the psychoactive “high” but in functional wellness.
• The Word-of-Mouth Gap: Most decision-making is influenced by positive anecdotes from friends and family. Conversations with healthcare providers are notably rare, highlighting a significant gap in clinical support and professional information.
• Product Preferences: While CBD is perceived as purely therapeutic and THC is linked to mood improvement, most older adults gravitate toward combination products (containing both THC and CBD), viewing them as a balanced “Goldilocks option”.
• Edibles as the Entry Point: The study specifically focused on edible products, which are often preferred by this demographic as a discreet and non-respiratory method of consumption.
• Need for Clinical Tools: Researchers emphasize that because patients are already seeking these “non-pharmaceutical” options, there is an urgent need for physicians to have better resources to guide them toward safe and effective use.

Source: University of Utah

For adults over 60, cannabis use is increasing faster than in any other demographic.

But science has yet to keep up with why older adults are using cannabis products, which products they choose, and how they make decisions about which products to use.

A new study by researchers from University of Utah Health and University of Colorado Boulder reveals that many older adults start cannabis seeking more effective or non-pharmaceutical options to manage sleep, pain, or mental health, and that many people base their decisions on word of mouth rather than discussions with health care providers.

The results are published in JAMA Network Open.

Many seek more effective options to manage common health conditions

The researchers interviewed 169 adults over 60 who were about to purchase cannabis for the first time to identify common motivations.

“Overall, they really wanted better quality of life, reducing their pain, getting better sleep, and being able to enjoy time with family and friends a little bit more,” says Rebecca Delaney, PhD, assistant professor of population health sciences at U of U Health and first author on the study.

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

Many participants had heard positive anecdotes about product usefulness from friends or family members, which tended to influence decisions. “They brought a lot of feedback from other people to inform their opinions,” Delaney says. “Word of mouth has a really big impact.”

Discussions with medical providers were rarely part of the picture, suggesting that better informational materials for patients and providers could be needed to drive conversations and help people make informed decisions about their health.

To CBD or to THC, that is the question

Older adults also faced the question of which products to use. Edible cannabis products may contain tetrahydrocannabinol (THC, the main psychoactive component of cannabis), cannabidiol (CBD), or both, and it was unclear what motivated and informed their decisions about which to purchase.

Many people perceived CBD-only products as therapeutically beneficial, which was often driven by anecdotal claims. People tended to perceive THC as offering benefits like improving mood. But most people chose combination products containing both, seeing them as a “Goldilocks option” that gives the best of both worlds.

Toward better decision-making

An important caveat is that the survey was conducted in Colorado, where recreational cannabis is legal. For older adults in Utah and other states where only medical use is permitted, the decision-making process may look different. But Delaney suspects that people’s core motivations—using cannabis to attempt to treat chronic pain, poor sleep, or mental health concerns—are probably the same.

Delaney says that the results help show people’s baseline understanding of using cannabis to address health concerns, providing a foundation to develop better informational tools and clinical support.

“The ultimate goal is to develop resources to help people make decisions and find products that meet their needs, and to figure out how we can distill information to patients and physicians,” Delaney says.

“We would really love to see more of these conversations happening between physicians and patients to make sure that people feel supported and informed when seeking alternative ways to address their pain.”

This research is published in JAMA Network Open as “Edible Cannabis and Pain, Sleep, and Mental Health Management in Older Adults.”

Funding: This work was supported by the National Institutes of Health, including the National Institute of Aging (R01AG066698) and the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (1K12TR004413) through the Utah Clinical and Translational Science Institute, as well as the American Heart Association (23SCEFIA1154397) and the University of Utah Office of Undergraduate Research. Content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

Key Questions Answered:

Editorial Notes:

• This article was edited by a Neuroscience News editor.
• Journal paper reviewed in full.
• Additional context added by our staff.

About this cannabis, aging, and health research news

Author: Sophia Friesen
Source: University of Utah
Contact: Sophia Friesen – University of Utah
Image: The image is credited to Neuroscience News

Original Research: Open access.
“Edible Cannabis and Pain, Sleep, and Mental Health Management in Older Adults” by Rebecca K. Delaney, Melissa H. Watt, Madeline Stanger, Isabelle Hong, Nehal K. Bakshi, Angela Fagerlin, and Angela Bryan. JAMA Network Open
DOI:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2026.11718

Abstract

Edible Cannabis and Pain, Sleep, and Mental Health Management in Older Adults

Importance  

Older adults are the fastest-growing group of cannabis consumers in the US, seeking relief from age-related ailments (eg, pain or difficulty sleeping) and improved quality of life. However, little is known about the motivations and factors that influence their use of edible cannabis and product choice.

Objectives  

To explore the motivations of older adults in Colorado purchasing edible cannabis products to improve sleep, pain, or mental health concerns, and to understand how they perceive the benefits and drawbacks of different cannabinoid profiles: cannabidiol (CBD)–dominant, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)–dominant, or a THC-CBD combination product.

Design, Setting, and Participants  

This community-based, qualitative study was study conducted in Colorado from November 2021 to November 2023 as part of a larger clinical trial. Individual interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, and analyzed. Participants were a convenience sample of adults aged 60 years or older who were interested in using edible cannabis for sleep, pain, or mental health symptoms. Participants completed an in-person interview prior to purchasing 1 of 3 edible product types.

Exposure  

Use of edible cannabis products.

Main Outcomes and Measures  

The primary outcomes were self-reported motivations for cannabis use and perceived benefits and drawbacks of different cannabinoid profiles, assessed through semistructured interviews conducted before product purchase.

Results  

Among 169 participants (mean [SD] age, 70.8 [5.8] years, 89 female [54%]), 96 (57.5%) selected a THC and CBD combination product, 48 (28.7%) selected a CBD-dominant product, and 23 (13.8%) selected a THC-dominant product.

Primary motivations for cannabis use included avoiding pharmaceuticals, exhausting other options, new or increasing problems, and evidence or claims of benefits. Evidence or claims of associated outcomes were seen as a benefit for all 3 product types.

The most common drawback for THC and combination products was concern about getting high or being impaired, while limited efficacy was the most common drawback for CBD products. Combination products were perceived to offer dual benefits of THC-CBD, yet determining the ideal ratio was seen as a challenge.

Conclusions and Relevance  

In this qualitative study, older adults were motivated to use cannabis as an alternative approach to address health concerns. These findings highlight the importance of physician awareness of older adults’ motivations and concerns to support informed counseling and resources.