{"id":302,"date":"2023-11-17T17:53:00","date_gmt":"2023-11-17T17:53:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sunnyislescannabislaws.com\/?p=302"},"modified":"2025-03-04T01:47:32","modified_gmt":"2025-03-04T01:47:32","slug":"cannabis-and-baby-boomers-a-shift-from-pharmaceuticals-to-medicinal-cannabis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sunnyislescannabislaws.com\/cannabis-and-baby-boomers-a-shift-from-pharmaceuticals-to-medicinal-cannabis\/","title":{"rendered":"Cannabis and Baby Boomers: A Shift from Pharmaceuticals to Medicinal Cannabis"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>The <strong>baby boomer generation<\/strong> (born between <strong>1946 and 1964<\/strong>) is seeing a notable shift in healthcare preferences, with many turning to <strong>medicinal cannabis<\/strong> as an alternative to traditional <strong>pharmaceutical drugs<\/strong>. This generation is increasingly choosing cannabis to manage chronic pain, insomnia, anxiety, and other age-related conditions. As cannabis becomes more widely accepted and legalized, baby boomers are playing a key role in shaping its future both in the United States and globally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>How Many Baby Boomers Have Converted to Medicinal Cannabis?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>A growing number of baby boomers are choosing <strong>medicinal cannabis<\/strong> over pharmaceuticals. A <strong>2019 Gallup Poll<\/strong> reported that <strong>11%<\/strong> of adults aged <strong>50 to 64<\/strong> said they use cannabis, a number that has steadily risen over the past few years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Additionally, a study conducted by the <strong>American Association of Retired Persons (AARP)<\/strong> revealed that <strong>30%<\/strong> of baby boomers have considered or are already using medicinal cannabis as an alternative to <strong>opioid-based<\/strong> or other pharmaceutical treatments. This trend is especially prominent among the <strong>youngest baby boomers<\/strong>, born in the early <strong>1960s<\/strong>, who are now entering their 60s and are increasingly looking for natural alternatives to manage their health conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aarp.org\/\">AARP &#8211; Medical Cannabis Usage Among Boomers<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Medicinal Cannabis vs. Pharmaceutical Drugs<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Many baby boomers have grown skeptical of <strong>pharmaceutical drugs<\/strong>, especially <strong>opioids<\/strong>, due to their addictive potential and severe side effects. Cannabis, with its <strong>natural, plant-based properties<\/strong>, offers a viable alternative for managing conditions such as <strong>chronic pain<\/strong>, <strong>arthritis<\/strong>, <strong>insomnia<\/strong>, and <strong>anxiety<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Cannabis as an Opioid Alternative<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>A <strong>2017 study<\/strong> published in the <em>Journal of Pain<\/em> found that approximately <strong>64%<\/strong> of cannabis users reduced their use of opioids after switching to medicinal cannabis. Moreover, <strong>42%<\/strong> of respondents reported that they completely stopped using opioids, highlighting the growing appeal of cannabis as a safer and more sustainable form of pain management.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Conditions Treated by Cannabis for Baby Boomers<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Chronic pain<\/strong> from arthritis and joint issues<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Anxiety<\/strong> and <strong>sleep disorders<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Inflammation<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Cannabis is widely recognized for its <strong>anti-inflammatory properties<\/strong>, making it particularly helpful for conditions like arthritis. Additionally, baby boomers are finding that cannabis improves <strong>sleep quality<\/strong> and helps manage <strong>anxiety<\/strong>\u2014conditions that frequently arise with aging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.jpain.org\/\">Journal of Pain &#8211; Cannabis as an Opioid Alternative<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Implications for the Future of Medical Cannabis Globally<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The baby boomer generation\u2019s adoption of cannabis is having a significant impact on the global cannabis market and its future. Their demand for <strong>natural treatments<\/strong> over traditional pharmaceuticals is pushing the global market to evolve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Economic Impact<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>With more baby boomers seeking cannabis for therapeutic purposes, the <strong>global cannabis market<\/strong> is projected to exceed <strong>$90 billion<\/strong> by <strong>2026<\/strong>. Countries with legal medicinal cannabis programs, such as <strong>Canada<\/strong>, <strong>Germany<\/strong>, and <strong>Israel<\/strong>, are already seeing economic benefits, and this trend is expected to continue as more countries legalize medicinal cannabis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Shifting Perceptions<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Baby boomers are also shifting <strong>public perception<\/strong> of cannabis. Once stigmatized as a recreational drug, cannabis is now being recognized for its <strong>therapeutic potential<\/strong>, largely due to the advocacy and growing acceptance by older generations. As this shift continues, it is likely to pave the way for <strong>wider legalization<\/strong> and <strong>research<\/strong> into cannabis\u2019 medical benefits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Countries such as <strong>Germany<\/strong> and <strong>Australia<\/strong> are expanding their medical cannabis programs, driven in part by demand from older adults. The baby boomer generation\u2019s use of cannabis could lead to more <strong>global legalization efforts<\/strong> and continued advancements in <strong>cannabis-based therapies<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>The Future of Medicinal Cannabis<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The rising use of <strong>medicinal cannabis<\/strong> among baby boomers is reshaping the <strong>global health landscape<\/strong>. As more baby boomers choose cannabis over traditional pharmaceuticals, they are driving demand for <strong>safer<\/strong>, <strong>more effective alternatives<\/strong>. This shift is expected to continue influencing <strong>medical cannabis research<\/strong>, <strong>policy changes<\/strong>, and <strong>global legalization<\/strong> efforts in the years to come.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Sources<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aarp.org\/\">AARP &#8211; Medical Cannabis Usage Among Boomers<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.jpain.org\/\">Journal of Pain &#8211; Cannabis as Opioid Alternative<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/news.gallup.com\/\">Gallup Poll &#8211; Cannabis Use Among Boomers<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The baby boomer generation (born between 1946 and 1964) is seeing a notable shift in healthcare preferences, with many turning to medicinal cannabis as an alternative to traditional pharmaceutical drugs. This generation is increasingly choosing cannabis to manage chronic pain, insomnia, anxiety, and other age-related conditions. As cannabis becomes more widely accepted and legalized, baby [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":327,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sunnyislescannabislaws.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/302"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sunnyislescannabislaws.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sunnyislescannabislaws.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sunnyislescannabislaws.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sunnyislescannabislaws.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=302"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/sunnyislescannabislaws.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/302\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":334,"href":"https:\/\/sunnyislescannabislaws.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/302\/revisions\/334"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sunnyislescannabislaws.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/327"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sunnyislescannabislaws.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=302"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sunnyislescannabislaws.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=302"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sunnyislescannabislaws.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=302"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}