Marijuana used to be a taboo topic — it was characterized by laziness, hard drug use, bad behavior, and poor decision making.
However, the reefer madness that was once commonplace and pushed by our grandparents and parents alike, has taken an interesting turn for the better — and it’s a doozey.
RELATED STORIES
With the recent legalization of marijuana across several states, and the push to expand to even more, it was inevitable that use would shoot up.
What’s surprising are the demographics that are using herb the most.
In a recent examination by VICE , the publication found that the fastest growing demographic was seniors.
Vice visited a Seattle-based nursing home that has a new marijuana education initiative.
The home organizes regular visits to a dispensary in the city and coordinates expert panels to teach the seniors about the variety of uses and categories of marijuana.
The seniors had a lot to say about their new decision to dope.
Connie Schick told VICE about her initial hesitations, “For a while, I think I was a little bit worried that if you smoked pot, eventually you’re going to end up living on the street or whatever.”
“But as my kids got older, and I knew they smoked dope, I said I’d like to try some. The only thing is, it made me sleepy!” She digressed.
Like many that have dipped their toes into the marijuana pond, Connie has decided to dive in.
Other residents were eager to absorb any and all information they could about the plant.
“I don’t know basically anything about [marijuana], so I’m anxious to get some knowledge. There’s a lot to learn in the world if you have your eyes and ears open,” one resident said.
As for the organizer of the program, Tracy Willis said this wasn’t necessarily a part of her “masterplan.”
“It definitely was a by-product of my masterplan, which was to provide education for every resident and member of our communities,” the director of corporate development for the nursing homes said.
Willis cited a viral video of a man being treated for Parkinson’s symptoms with marijuana as the inspiration for her program.
“We played that for a group of the residents and they all signed up, the sheet was full. This population is so much more open-minded than most people think,” she said.
Marijuana can be used to treat a plethora of symptoms, from pain to anxiety and beyond.
As the country opens up to the idea of marijuana as a a therapy, we can only assume that the elderly’s use will continue to skyrocket!
