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In an opinion piece, Dr. Peter Grinspoon of Massachusetts General Hospital argues that seniors are now the fastest-growing group of medical cannabis patients but most physicians lack the training to counsel them safely, urging federal legalization, physician education, and a 'start low and go slow' dosing approach.

What is a key fact in this story? (1)

**Senior medical cannabis patients** are the fastest-growing demographic, with 25.8% of patients at a New York dispensary aged 65 or older and 34.5% aged 50–64, using cannabis primarily for chronic pain, anxiety, and insomnia.

What is a key fact in this story? (2)

**Cannabis potency** today is roughly 10 times stronger than 50 years ago, making accidental overconsumption more likely for older users whose livers and kidneys process drugs less efficiently, Grinspoon warns.

Seniors Lead Cannabis Adoption; Doctors Trail Behind — SkimNews

By STAT News · Summarized & edited by Kapil Samant · 2026-07-09

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Senior medical cannabis patients are the fastest-growing demographic, with 25.8% of patients at a New York dispensary aged 65 or older and 34.5% aged 50–64, using cannabis primarily for chronic pain, anxiety, and insomnia.
Cannabis potency today is roughly 10 times stronger than 50 years ago, making accidental overconsumption more likely for older users whose livers and kidneys process drugs less efficiently, Grinspoon warns.
The war on drugs paradoxically drove THC concentrations higher because smuggling economics rewarded potency, while medicinal cannabinoids such as CBD were bred down, according to the author.
The cannabis industry is split between roughly 10,000 small businesses the author calls ethical and large multistate operators that he likens to alcohol and tobacco companies for producing super-high-THC products and running ads that may appeal to adolescents.
More than 20 million people, disproportionately Black and brown, have been arrested for simple cannabis possession, Grinspoon notes — while emphasizing that legalization must still proceed safely with physician and patient education.
Grinspoon, an addiction specialist at Massachusetts General Hospital and author of 'Aging Well with Cannabis,' recommends starting patients on extremely low doses and creeping upward, often using non-intoxicating CBD alongside THC.

Why it matters: With roughly a quarter of medical cannabis patients at one New York dispensary now 65 or older, the gap between patient adoption and physician training has become a direct safety issue — especially as today's cannabis runs about 10 times stronger than what these users encountered decades ago. Grinspoon argues federal legalization is the lever that would standardize labeling and dosing guidance.