Medical cannabis was prescribed to countless elderly patients throughout Canada, with the various medicinal benefits helping to treat a variety of symptoms and ailments. Yet, many seniors didn’t even consider using cannabis as medicine, sticking to tried and tested prescription medications, although that could now change upon recreational cannabis legalization.
With cannabis widely available across the nation without a prescription, more elderly people are seeing the various benefits that cannabis products offer. Plus, public views on cannabis use are quickly changing, and many elderly Canadians are excited to have access to cannabis that offers countless physical and medical benefits.
Of course, there remains some hurdles for seniors looking to try cannabis for the first time. For instance, going into one of the recreational retail stores is often intimidating. There are many cannabis products, strains, and terminology that are difficult to understand at first, making the entire process overwhelming for many people, not just the elderly.
Dried flower is the most common form of cannabis, although it’s necessarily the best choice for elderly people. For example, you need to smoke it, which requires a pipe, vaporizer, or the ability to roll a joint, which not all elderly people are comfortable using.
The smoke produced also irritates the respiratory system so it’s probably not the healthiest way to consume weed either. Edibles are a great way around this problem, with cannabis infused foods offering a nice way for older people to consume cannabis. However, they remain illegal for recreational use until 2019.
One product that is currently available and probably the best cannabis product for elderly people is cannabis tincture. It’s made by extracting THC, CBD and other cannabinoids from the cannabis plant using alcohol, creating a liquid solution that gives you the effects of cannabis without needing to smoke anything.
You simply apply a few drops of the liquid, which is sold in a dropper bottle for easy application, beneath the tongue and wait for the effects. Depending on the THC and CBD content, the tincture may produce a high of some sort, while various other side-effects will kick in too.
The psychoactive effect of THC isn’t always desirable for older people but when compared to the side-effects of prescription drugs, the differences are night and day. That said, many cannabis tinctures purposely have lower THC content to ensure minimal mind-altering effects.
Pure CBD tinctures are available, as are tinctures with high CBD and low THC ratios. CBD offers many benefits, such as reducing inflammation, easing various pains, and helping with symptoms of MS.
A little amount of THC is often a good thing however, as the side-effects can be very welcome depending on the condition. For instance, it’s very relaxing, offers relief from [] pain, and is a powerful sleep aid.
Cannabis tincture is all about physical relief either, however. For instance, CBD and THC can reduce anxiety, [], and generally improve the user’s mood. These are certainly welcome side-effects from cannabis tincture and are especially useful for elderly people, who frequently suffer from these mental and physical problems that cannabis helps with.
Tincture is also recommended for the elderly because of its simplicity. A single drop represents one dose while it’s easy to take. Simply add a drop or two under the tongue or into a drink and wait for the positive effects to arrive!
Many older people still have misconceptions about cannabis. This may never change, espiecally among people that were raised during the war on drugs, but many are now looking at cannabis differently and seeing how it could benefit their own lives.