Medical Cannabis May Help Older Adults Manage Pain, Insomnia and Mood Issues, With 91% Reporting Symptom Improvement
For years, cannabis and older adults were rarely mentioned in the same sentence unless the conversation was about stereotypes. But it is changing quickly (except for a few Boomer politicians). Another study shows cannabis is a big help for Boomers as use among teh group continues to expand. Adults 65 and older are increasingly turning to medical marijuana for some of the very problems which makes aging harder: chronic pain, poor sleep and mood-related symptoms.
Now, a new study adds another notable data point. Researchers found 91% of older adults receiving supervised medical cannabis treatment experienced an improvement in at least one major symptom area, including pain, insomnia or mood and behavioral issues.
RELATED: Boomer And Gen Z Consume Marijuana For Similar Reasons
The study involved 124 people over age 65 receiving medical cannabis through a specialized practice in Colombia. Most had not previously used marijuana. Participants commonly sought treatment for pain-related and musculoskeletal conditions, cancer, neurological disorders, insomnia and mood or behavioral symptoms.
The researchers tracked symptom severity using a four-point scale and defined improvement as a reduction of at least one point. Among the participants, 91% met the threshold.
The improvements weren’t necessarily immediate. Pain showed its first documented improvement in about 68% of patients, while roughly 65% of those experiencing insomnia and 74% of those with mood or behavioral symptoms showed improvement at an early follow-up visit. Median time to the first improvement was three months for pain, two months for insomnia and just one month for mood or behavioral symptoms.
Perhaps more interesting for older adults—and their doctors—the researchers reported the doses associated with clinical benefit were generally low. Cannabis was most often administered in oral oil formulations, with patients typically receiving only a few milligrams per day of THC, CBD and/or CBG. About one-quarter of patients also reduced or discontinued other medications during the study period, although the overall medication burden remained stable.
The findings arrive as cannabis use among older Americans is becoming increasingly mainstream. A separate 2026 study published in JAMA Network Open found older adults were turning to edible cannabis products for pain, sleep and mental health concerns, with many saying they were motivated by a desire to avoid or reduce reliance on traditional pharmaceuticals.
Other research has found similar signals. An observational study of older adults receiving authorized medical cannabis found meaningful reductions in several measures of pain, although researchers cautioned the results need to be confirmed by more rigorous studies.
The caveat matters. The new 91% study is observational and has been released as a preprint rather than as a peer-reviewed journal publication. Only 44 participants had a three-month follow-up, meaning the results should be viewed as encouraging evidence—not proof cannabis will work for every older adult. The researchers themselves say larger studies are needed.
RELATED: Gen Z Is Drinking Way Less Than Previous Generations
The findings arrive as cannabis use among older Americans is becoming increasingly mainstream. A separate 2026 study published in JAMA Network Open found older adults were turning to edible cannabis products for pain, sleep and mental health concerns, with many saying they were motivated by a desire to avoid or reduce reliance on traditional pharmaceuticals.
Other research has found similar signals. An observational study of older adults receiving authorized medical cannabis found meaningful reductions in several measures of pain, although researchers cautioned the results need to be confirmed by more rigorous studies.
The caveat matters. The new 91% study is observational and has been released as a preprint rather than as a peer-reviewed journal publication. Only 44 participants had a three-month follow-up, meaning the results should be viewed as encouraging evidence—not proof cannabis will work for every older adult. The researchers themselves say larger studies are needed.
Still, the larger trend is difficult to ignore.
