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   MONDAY, Jan. 16, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- New research out of California   
   finds seniors are being treated in emergency rooms in significantly higher   
   numbers for adverse side effects from cannabis consumption.   
      
   Researchers from the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) said they   
   studied the issue because they noticed more primary care patients ending   
   up in the ER after using marijuana products.   
      
   "While we did expect to see an increase, just given the increase in the   
   use of cannabis by older adults, the sharp increase, especially from 2013   
   to 2016, did surprise us," said first study author Dr. Benjamin Han, a   
   geriatrician in the Division of Geriatrics, Gerontology and Palliative   
   Care at UCSD's School of Medicine.   
      
   While people 65 and up were involved in only 366 cannabis-related ER   
   visits in 2005, that number skyrocketed to 12,167 in 2019. The relative   
   increase was 1,808%.   
      
   Older patients taking marijuana or related products may have dizziness and   
   falls, heart palpitations, panic attacks, confusion, anxiety or worsening   
   of underlying lung diseases, such as asthma or COPD, Han said.   
      
   One relatively rare condition is cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome, where   
   the drug is associated with cyclic vomiting.   
      
   Older adults are at higher risk for adverse cannabis reactions, likely due   
   to a combination of greater sensitivity and being unfamiliar with newer   
   forms of the drug, Han said.   
      
   "Certainly, as we age there are physiological changes that do make us more   
   sensitive to any psychoactive substance, including cannabis or alcohol.   
   But we do also see older people who are not familiar with cannabis and may   
   unintentionally take more than they wanted to," Han explained.   
      
   More older Americans are using cannabis since it has been legalized for   
   medical or recreational use in many states. California has had legal   
   medical marijuana since 1996 and legal recreational cannabis since 2016.   
      
   Just last week, a study published in the journal JAMA Network Open showed   
   that 3 out of 10 people said they had tried cannabis to treat their pain,   
   and most of those patients reported that they wound up substituting weed   
   in place of other painkillers.   
      
   Older adults typically use cannabis to treat pain or arthritis, sleep   
   problems, anxiety and depression, Han said.   
      
   It can be challenging to determine whether a person's symptoms are from   
   the cannabis or if they happened to use cannabis and had these unrelated   
   symptoms, he said.   
      
   “Cannabis can cause a range of potential adverse effects, but this is   
   often difficult to determine 'too much' given the range of cannabinoids,   
   dosing, ratios and routes of ingestion," Han said. "We also are still   
   learning about potential harms of cannabis, including its potential   
   negative impact on existing chronic diseases. Cannabis use disorder -- or   
   problematic use -- is also a concern for people who use cannabis   
   regularly."   
      
   Researchers said that past work on alcohol use has shown that older adults   
   are more likely to make behavior changes if the behavior is linked to a   
   medical symptom or outcome they don't want. Linking cannabis to these   
   risks may also help change behavior.   
      
   It is possible older adults will answer more frankly if asked specific   
   questions, researchers suggested. Providers could then follow up with   
   questions about frequency of use, what a person is using it for and if   
   they know how much of the drug is contained in what they're using.   
      
   Providers can then offer patients some guidance.   
      
   “It is very important that clinicians ask and talk about cannabis use with   
   their patients in a non-judgmental manner, especially among older   
   populations who are increasingly trying cannabis to treat a range of   
   chronic symptoms,” Han said. “That being said, weighing the benefits   
   versus the risks of cannabis for older adults can be challenging for   
   clinicians, given the lack of clinical studies.”   
      
   The new findings were published Jan. 9 in the Journal of the American   
   Geriatrics Society. The U.S. National Institute on Drug Abuse provided   
   some of the funding.   
      
   Dr. Leigh Vinocur is a spokesperson for the American College of Emergency   
      
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