This document discusses the benefits of medical marijuana for seniors. It notes that over 13,000 seniors in BC alone are licensed to use medical marijuana for chronic conditions like pain, cancer, glaucoma, dementia, arthritis, and insomnia. As people age, their bodies absorb and metabolize drugs differently, causing medications to last longer with more side effects. Medical marijuana provides an alternative with fewer side effects than pharmaceuticals and can help reduce the number of prescription medications seniors take. The document reviews specific medical marijuana strains and administration methods and summarizes several research studies on its effectiveness for various illnesses common in seniors.

1. Medical Marijuana Benefits
for Seniors
Why They Benefit the Most
Presented by:
Robert Horning, B.Sc., R.P.
East West Science Ltd.

2. Seniors Using Medical Marijuana in BC
• According to data released by Health Canada
in December 2012, 13,362 seniors in B.C.
alone are licensed to possess medical
marijuana.

3. Their Reasoning for Using Medical
Marijuana
• By age of 65, seniors can have several different
chronic illnesses to manage every day including
• chronic pain
• cancer
• glaucoma
• dementia
• arthritis
• insomnia

4. • The traditional approach is to treat these
illnesses with pharmaceuticals.
• With cannabis, one medication for many
ailments, instead of
• Many medications from one condition, one for
the condition and others for side effects like
heartburn for sleeping meds, antidepressants
for the sleeping pills, etc.

5. How Do Drugs
Affect Us As We
Age

6. • From Timiras, 1994

7. ALTERED PHYSIOLOGIC VARIABLES IN
OLDER PATIENTS
Physiologic Variable Adults Elderly
1.) Absorption
Esophageal motility 
Gastric emptying time (half
time, min)
47 123
Achlorhydria (incidence, %) 5 26
Muscle mass and blood flow 

8. ALTERED PHYSIOLOGIC VARIABLES IN
OLDER PATIENTS
Physiologic Variable Adults Elderly
2.) Distribution
Serum albumin 4.7 3.8
Alpha-1 acid glycoprotein (mg/dL) 28 102
Total body water (L/kg weight) .50 .47
Adipose tissue (% total body weight)
Male 18 36
Female 33 45

9. ALTERED PHYSIOLOGIC VARIABLES
IN OLDER PATIENTS
Physiologic Variable Adults Elderly
3.) Metabolism
Liver weight (gm/kg body weight) 25 20
Hepatic blood flow (mL/min) 1400 800
Antipyrine clearance (mL/hr/kg) 47 28
4.) Elimination
Glomerular filtration rate 122 85
Renal blood flow (mL/min/1.73m2) 1100 600

10. What Does This Mean?
1.) Reduced Drug Absorption of Drugs
2.) Reduced Volume of Distribution of Drugs
3.) Decreased Metabolism of Drugs
4.) Reduced Elimination of Drugs
All these factors result in drugs lasting longer and
having a greater effect and more side effects in Seniors
than in Non-Seniors.

11. Plasma Half-Lives in Young and Old
Drug Young (20-30) Elderly (65-80)
Penicillin G 20.7 min 39.1 min
Tetracycline 3.5 hr 4.5 hr
Digoxin 51 hr 73 hr
Diazepam 20 hr 80 hr
Lidocaine 80.6 hr 139.6 hr
Chlordiazepoxide 8.9 hr 16.7 hr
Phenobarbital 71 hr 107 hr
Warfarin 37 hr 44 hr

12. A Few Things About
Medical Marijuana
That Seniors
Should Know

13. Marijuana is SAFER than prescription
medications
• According to the CDC, in 2008, 36,450 deaths were attributed
to prescription drug overdose.
• To date, not a single person has ever died from a marijuana
overdose.
• And the side effects of marijuana are minor in comparison to
the side effects of many prescription drugs. You will NEVER
see a warning such as, “This drug may increase the likelihood
of suicide or suicidal thoughts,” connected to marijuana.
Sadly, the same cannot be said for other medications.

14. Marijuana is not physically addictive
• Many seniors fear that if they start using marijuana they will
become addicted.
• Discontinuing the use of marijuana has much the same
response as quitting the consumption of coffee.
• Many people who seek welcome and effective respite from
chronic pain, anxiety, and stress use marijuana as a daily
medicine.

15. Marijuana can reduce and possibly
replace many prescription medications
• A major complaint of seniors regarding their daily medications
is that the first drug often causes side effects and a second
drug is then prescribed to fix it.
• Marijuana has the potential for accentuating the effect of
many commonly prescribed drugs. For example, opiate based
painkillers are typically enhanced when marijuana is used
concurrently, often resulting in a reduction of pharmaceutical
medicines.
• Marijuana’s healing properties target various conditions such
as inflamed joints, high blood pressure, chronic pain, digestive
disorders, constipation, headaches, insomnia, anxiety,
cognitive awareness, and more, eliminating many prescription
drugs.

16. There are thousands of marijuana strains
and they are good for different things
• One strain does not fit all. There are strains that are specific
for pain (Sativa) and strains that are targeted for insomnia
(Indica).
• Most of the seniors I talked to didn’t know the difference
between an Indica strain and a Sativa strain.
• An Indica is more sedating to the body and mind while a
Sativa is much more elevating and energizing.
• Even when one finds a marijuana strain that consistently
works for them, it can be advantageous for seniors to try
different strains because tolerance to the same strain has
been known to build up.

17. There are marijuana strains without
“the high”
• “If I could get the medical benefit marijuana without the
high, I’d consider it.” said many of the seniors we’ve spoken
to.
• Medical marijuana breeders have developed and are
currently producing potent CBD genetic strains that have
minimal psychoactive effect.
• CBD, or cannabidiol, is tremendous for inflammation, eases
pain, stimulates bone growth, suppresses muscular spasms,
reduces anxiety, and increases mental focus.
• These have proven extremely successful for persons
suffering from arthritis pain, nausea, and muscle spasms.

19. There are ways to use marijuana other
than smoking it
• One common misconception among aging adults is that they have
to smoke marijuana to gain the medicinal benefits.
• The fact is that marijuana can be added to just about any regular
recipe in the form of cannabis infused butters or oils.
• There are also liquid extracts, syrups, lozenges, candies, chocolates,
etc. to choose from.
• Liquid extracts allow users to “titrate” or regulate their dose. In
other words, one can literally take the extract drop by drop every
ten minutes or so until they reach the point of physical or mental
relief they’re after.
• Vaporizing allows the user to inhale the cannabinoids without the
negative health effects associated with smoking.

20. Marijuana-infused ointments can be very
effective in alleviating arthritis and pain
• Locally made, medicated creams are very popular for sore
joints and muscles and back pain. They are very effective,
smell nice and give a you no “high” so you can feel
comfortable using the products throughout the day.

21. Marijuana does not lower your IQ or
cause brain damage
• Another common misconception aging adults have with
marijuana is that can lower intelligence or cause brain
damage .
• Studies with Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s patients indicate
that marijuana gradually encourages new neural pathways,
allowing those with impaired brain function to potentially halt
further degeneration and even encourage brain function.

22. Medical Marijuana Studies for
Specific Illnesses
• chronic pain
• cancer
• glaucoma
• dementia
• arthritis
• insomnia

23. Chronic pain
• The pharmacokinetics, efficacy, safety, and ease of use of a novel portable metered-
dose cannabis inhaler in patients with chronic neuropathic pain: a phase 1a study.
Eisenberg E, Ogintz M, Almog S. J Pain Palliat Care Pharmacother. 2014 Sep;28(3):216-25. doi:
10.3109/15360288.2014.941130. Epub 2014 Aug 13.
• The use of cannabis for management of chronic pain.
Bostwick JM. Gen Hosp Psychiatry. 2014 Jan-Feb;36(1):2-3. doi:
10.1016/j.genhosppsych.2013.08.004. Epub 2013 Oct 1.
• Marijuana and chronic nonmalignant pain.
Harrison TE, Bruce BK, Weiss KE, Rummans TA, Bostwick JM. Mayo Clin Proc. 2013
Jul;88(7):647-50. doi: 10.1016/j.mayocp.2013.04.018. Epub 2013 Jun 17.
• The argument for medical marijuana for the treatment of chronic pain.
Carter GT. Pain Med. 2013 Jun;14(6):800. doi: 10.1111/pme.12137_2.

24. Cancer
• Cannabinoids as therapeutic agents in cancer: current status and future implications.
Chakravarti B, Ravi J, Ganju RK. Oncotarget. 2014 Aug 30;5(15):5852-72.
• Cannabis extract treatment for terminal acute lymphoblastic leukemia with a Philadelphia
chromosome mutation.
Singh Y, Bali C. Case Rep Oncol. 2013 Nov 28;6(3):585-92. doi: 10.1159/000356446.
eCollection 2013 Sep.
• Inhibition of colon carcinogenesis by a standardized Cannabis sativa extract with high content
of cannabidiol.
Romano B, Borrelli F, Pagano E, Cascio MG, Pertwee RG, Izzo AA. Phytomedicine. 2014 Apr
15;21(5):631-9. doi: 10.1016/j.phymed.2013.11.006. Epub 2013 Dec 25.
• Critical appraisal of the potential use of cannabinoids in cancer management.
Cridge BJ, Rosengren RJ. Cancer Manag Res. 2013 Aug 30;5:301-13. doi:
10.2147/CMAR.S36105. eCollection 2013. Review.

25. Glaucoma
• The use of marijuana to treat glaucoma.
Lederer CM. Mo Med. 2012 Mar-Apr;109(2):95. Review.
• Endocannabinoids in the retina: from marijuana to neuroprotection.
Yazulla S. Prog Retin Eye Res. 2008 Sep;27(5):501-26. doi: 10.1016/j.preteyeres.2008.07.002.
Epub 2008 Aug 3. Review.
• Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in the treatment of end-stage open-angle glaucoma.
Flach AJ. Trans Am Ophthalmol Soc. 2002;100:215-22; discussion 222-4.
• Cannabinoids in the treatment of glaucoma.
Järvinen T, Pate DW, Laine K. Pharmacol Ther. 2002 Aug;95(2):203-20. Review.

26. Dementia
• The multiplicity of action of cannabinoids: implications for treating neurodegeneration.
Gowran A, Noonan J, Campbell VA. CNS Neurosci Ther. 2011 Dec;17(6):637-44. doi:
10.1111/j.1755-5949.2010.00195.x. Epub 2010 Sep 28. Review.
• The role of phytochemicals in the treatment and prevention of dementia.
Howes MJ, Perry E. Drugs Aging. 2011 Jun 1;28(6):439-68. doi: 10.2165/11591310-
000000000-00000. Review.
• Cannabinoids for the treatment of dementia.
Krishnan S, Cairns R, Howard R. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2009 Apr 15;(2):CD007204. doi:
10.1002/14651858.CD007204.pub2. Review.
• Cannabinoids: novel medicines for the treatment of Huntington's disease.
Sagredo O, Pazos MR, Valdeolivas S, Fernandez-Ruiz J. Recent Pat CNS Drug Discov. 2012 Apr
1;7(1):41-8. Review.

27. Arthritis
• Cannabinoid receptor 2 as a potential therapeutic target in rheumatoid arthritis.
Fukuda S, Kohsaka H, Takayasu A, Yokoyama W, Miyabe C, Miyabe Y, Harigai M, Miyasaka N, Nanki T.
BMC Musculoskelet Disord. 2014 Aug 12;15(1):275. doi: 10.1186/1471-2474-15-275.
• Hempseed oil induces reactive oxygen species- and C/EBP homologous protein-mediated apoptosis
in MH7A human rheumatoid arthritis fibroblast-like synovial cells.
Jeong M, Cho J, Shin JI, Jeon YJ, Kim JH, Lee SJ, Kim ES, Lee K. J Ethnopharmacol. 2014 Jul
3;154(3):745-52. doi: 10.1016/j.jep.2014.04.052. Epub 2014 May 9.
• Characterisation of the cannabinoid receptor system in synovial tissue and fluid in patients with
osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.
Richardson D, Pearson RG, Kurian N, Latif ML, Garle MJ, Barrett DA, Kendall DA, Scammell BE, Reeve
AJ, Chapman V. Arthritis Res Ther. 2008;10(2):R43. doi: 10.1186/ar2401. Epub 2008 Apr 16.
• The use of a cannabis-based medicine in the treatment of pain caused by rheumatoidarthritis.
Wright S, Ware M, Guy G. Rheumatology (Oxford). 2006 Jun;45(6):781; author reply 781-2. Epub
2006 Apr 18. No abstract available.

28. Insomnia
• The effects of cannabinoid administration on sleep: a systematic review of human studies.
Gates PJ, Albertella L, Copeland J. Sleep Med Rev. 2014 Mar 7. pii: S1087-0792(14)00021-5.
doi: 10.1016/j.smrv.2014.02.005. [Epub ahead of print] Review.
• Use of a cannabinoid in a correctional population for posttraumatic stress disorder-related
insomnia and nightmares, chronic pain, harm reduction, and other indications: a
retrospective evaluation.
Cameron C, Watson D, Robinson J. J Clin Psychopharmacol. 2014 Oct;34(5):559-64. doi:
10.1097/JCP.0000000000000180.
• The effects of cannabinoid administration on sleep: a systematic review of human studies.
Gates PJ, Albertella L, Copeland J. Sleep Med Rev. 2014 Mar 7. pii: S1087-0792(14)00021-5.
doi: 10.1016/j.smrv.2014.02.005. [Epub ahead of print] Review.
• Therapeutic benefits of cannabis: a patient survey.
Webb CW, Webb SM. Hawaii J Med Public Health. 2014 Apr;73(4):109-11.