Older adults are increasingly using cannabis medicinally, including for the treatment of mental health symptoms. The purpose of this report was to characterize cannabis use and perceptions of cannabis safety and effectiveness amongst older adults who use cannabis for the treatment of mental health symptoms. An online survey of cannabis usage and perceptions was conducted between February 2022 to September 2022. This report analyzes older adults currently using cannabis for self-reported mental health symptoms or conditions. A total of 1,615 older Canadians completed the survey, of whom 322 (19.9%) reported using cannabis for mental health symptoms. Most (70.8%) found cannabis somewhat or extremely helpful in managing their symptoms and 73.8% viewed cannabis as safe or very safe compared to pharmaceutical medications. Within the past year, 62.4% reported having experienced an adverse effect of cannabis. Older adults who use cannabis for mental health symptoms view it positively, despite the high prevalence of self-reported adverse effects.
Bolt et al. (Mon,) studied this question.