Five marijuana patients, ages 81 to 93, who live in New Jersey, where medical marijuana has been legal for eight years, agreed to be interviewed for this article. All five said that they were glad they tried it, as seniors, for the first time.
Most use the edible form because it's easier than smoking it and doesn't leave a telltale odor that makes them feel sheepish when visitors come to their home or assisted-living facility.
One Marlton woman learned about medical marijuana over a mah-jongg game at an independent-living facility during which two elderly players admitted they were using it and recommended it. She decided to give it a whirl and was stunned at how it eased her back pain and helped her sleep.
Declining to be named, she told a reporter that she doesn't want her neighbors to think she's "a dopehead. … The marijuana doesn't get me high, it's just for pain," she said.