{"id":21131,"date":"2019-03-27T08:59:17","date_gmt":"2019-03-27T15:59:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sop.washington.edu\/?p=21131"},"modified":"2026-04-01T13:11:41","modified_gmt":"2026-04-01T20:11:41","slug":"advice-from-uw-pharmacists-on-senior-use-of-marijuana","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/staff.washington.edu\/twentzel\/wordpress\/advice-from-uw-pharmacists-on-senior-use-of-marijuana\/","title":{"rendered":"Advice from UW pharmacists on senior use of marijuana"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"marijuana<\/p>\n

Marijuana use among older adults has soared in recent years despite little being known about the effectiveness and safety of the drug in people 65 and older. That\u2019s resulted in more seniors asking health care providers about marijuana use: Is it safe? How much to use? Where to buy?<\/p>\n

Now, a group of University of Washington professors has gone on the record to recommend ways to answer some of these questions and reduce the potential harm from marijuana use in this vulnerable population.<\/p>\n

\"Zach
Zach Marcum, Assistant Director of Research for the Plein Center for Geriatric Pharmacy <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cStart low, go slow,\u201d said Zach Marcum, assistant director of research for the Plein Center for Geriatric Pharmacy<\/a> at the\u00a0UW School of Pharmacy. He\u2019s the lead author of a\u00a0letter to the editor<\/a>\u00a0about marijuana use in older adults recently published in the Annals of Pharmacotherapy. \u201cWe discourage marijuana use, especially in the elderly. But we also acknowledge the reality that people, including seniors, are trying marijuana. If they\u2019re going to use, use safely.\u201d<\/p>\n

Researchers realize that older adults are using weed, even to just try it out. If seniors are going to try marijuana, they should keep some basic safety guidelines in mind:<\/p>\n