Exploring First-time Cannabis Use among Community-Dwelling Older Adults

Principal Investigator:

Dr. Jennifer Baumbusch, PhD, RN

Research Assistant:

Isabel Sloan Yip

Funding:

Helen Shore Endowment Fund, UBC School of Nursing

Study Purpose:

Given that cannabis has become legalized relatively recently in Canada, there is a gap in knowledge about older adults’ cannabis use. Although there has been media attention to the topic of older adults’ cannabis use, there is limited research in this area. Further, most of the research to date is population-based and from the United States where recreational use has been available in some States for a longer period of time. Hence, there is very little in-depth, qualitative research about older adults’ experiences of using cannabis, a gap that we will begin to address in this study.

The purpose of this study is to explore community-dwelling, older adults’ experiences of using cannabis over the age of 70 years.

The research questions associated with the study purpose are:

  1. What are community-dwelling older adults experiences of using cannabis for the first-time after age 70?
    1. What are their reasons for using cannabis, either medically or recreationally?
    2. How do they decide how to consume cannabis (e.g. ingest, inhale, topical)?
    3. How do interactions with healthcare professionals and family/friends shape older adults’ cannabis use?
  1. How do socio-contextual factors (e.g. access to cannabis, attitudes towards cannabis use by healthcare professionals and family/friends) facilitate or deter cannabis use among community-dwelling older adults

infographic of the study "older adults' experences and new use of cannabis following legalization in Canada

Publications

For copies of the publications, please email gero@nursing.ubc.ca

Baumbusch, J., & Sloan Yip, I. (2021). Exploring new use of cannabis among older adults. Clinical Gerontologist, 44(1), 25-31. https://doi.org/10.1080/07317115.2020.1746720

Baumbusch, J., & Sloan Yip, I. (2022). Older adults experiences of using recreational cannabis for medicinal purposes following legalization. The International Journal of Drug Policy, 108 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugpo.2022.103812

Presentations

Baumbusch, J., Sloan Yip, I., Phinney, A.  (October 24-26, 2019). The Wild West: Older Adults’ Experiences of Using Cannabis. Poster presented at the Canadian Association on Gerontology 48th Annual Scientific and Educational Meeting, Moncton, New Brunswick

Baumbusch, J., Sloan Yip, I., Phinney, A.  (October 24-26, 2019). Before the Boom: Cannabis Use among Members of the Silent Generation. Poster presented at the Canadian Association on Gerontology 48th Annual Scientific and Educational Meeting, Moncton, New Brunswick