What topics does this cannabis study cover?

This study covers research on: Addiction, Mental Health.

Where was this research published?

Published in Addiction (Abingdon, England) on September 28, 2026.

Addiction Mental Health

US survey finds CUD in one in nine older adults who used cannabis

Cannabis use and cannabis use disorder among older adults in the USA.

Addiction (Abingdon, England) • September 28, 2026 • Highly Relevant

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AI Summary

This study asked how common cannabis use and cannabis use disorder (CUD) are among US adults aged 65 and older. It analyzed 2021–2024 data from a nationally representative, annual cross-sectional survey, including 21,189 older adults. An estimated 8.9% had used cannabis in the past year; among those past-year users, 11.4% met criteria for CUD. Most cases were classified as mild, while smaller proportions were moderate or severe.

Smoking was the most commonly reported way of using cannabis, followed by eating or drinking it and vaping. CUD was associated with several characteristics, including more frequent use, smoking as a mode of use, past-year mental illness, and use of tobacco or other drugs. These are associations, not evidence of cause and effect. Because the study is based on cross-sectional survey data, this abstract-based summary cannot establish why these patterns occur or how cannabis use changes over time.

💡 Key Findings

Among US adults aged 65 and older who used cannabis in the past year, 11.4% met criteria for cannabis use disorder.

Good

75%

An estimated 8.9% of older adults reported cannabis use in the past 12 months.

Good

75%

Smoking was the most common reported mode of past-year cannabis use, followed by eating or drinking and vaping.

Good

70%

CUD was associated with frequent cannabis use, smoking, past-year mental illness, and past-year tobacco or other drug use; the survey cannot establish that these factors caused CUD.

Good

65%

📄 Original Abstract

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Cannabis use is increasing among older adults in the United States (US); however, little is known regarding details of use or cannabis use disorder (CUD) in this population. This study aimed to describe cannabis use and CUD among older adults in the US. DESIGN: Secondary analysis of the 2021-2024 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, an annual cross-sectional nationally representative sample of noninstitutionalized people aged ≥12 living in the US. SETTING: United States. PARTICIPANTS: Noninstitutionalized individuals age ≥65 years (unweighted N = 21 189). MEASUREMENTS: We estimated the prevalence of cannabis use by recency (any past 12-month use and past 30-day use), meeting two or more Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)-5 CUD criteria, as well as CUD severity and individual CUD criteria among adults age ≥65 years who used cannabis in the past 12 months. Cannabis use and CUD were compared across sociodemographic and health-related characteristics, modality of use (2022-2024 only), and individual CUD criteria. Bivariable generalized linear regression models estimated the relative risk (RR) of CUD for older adults with each characteristic and modality of cannabis use. RESULTS: An estimated 8.9% of older adults used cannabis in the past 12 months, and among them, 11.4% met criteria for CUD (76.0% mild, 20.1% moderate, and 3.9% severe CUD). Smoking was the most common modality of past 12-month use (65.8%), followed by eating or drinking (40.5%), and vaping (15.4%); 19.9% had a doctor recommend any cannabis use. Among older adults with CUD, the most common CUD criteria met were spending time obtaining, using, and recovering from the drug's effects (74.4%) and craving (67.5%). Male older adults were at higher risk for CUD than their female counterparts [RR = 1.69, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.12-2.55], as were those ever arrested and booked (RR = 1.59, 95% CI = 1.07-2.37), with past-year mental illness (RR = 2.93, 95% CI: 1.85-4.65), past-year tobacco use (RR = 1.52, 95% CI: 1.04-2.20) or drug use other than cannabis (RR = 3.22, 95% CI: 2.15-4.84), smoking as a mode of cannabis use (RR = 4.94, 95% CI: 2.39-10.23), and frequent cannabis use (e.g., ≥300 days vs. <300 days per year, RR = 3.70, 95% CI: 2.30-5.96). SUMMARY: One in nine older adults in the United States who have used cannabis in the past 12 months meet criteria for cannabis use disorder. Cannabis use screening, cannabis use disorder treatment, and additional intervention to prevent worsening severity are needed to minimize cannabis-related harms among older US adults.

Paper Type

📄 Research

Publication

Journal: Addiction (Abingdon, England)
Published: September 28, 2026
PMID: 42802914
DOI: 10.1111/add.70600

Authors (5)

Benjamin H Han University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA.
Evan L Eschliman Duke University School of Nursing, Durham, NC, USA.
Joseph J Palamar Department of Population Health, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA.
Mireia Triguero Roura Center for Pharmacoepidemiology and Treatment Science, Rutgers Institute for Health, Health Care Policy and Aging Research, New Brunswick, NJ, USA.
Pia M Mauro Center for Pharmacoepidemiology and Treatment Science, Rutgers Institute for Health, Health Care Policy and Aging Research, New Brunswick, NJ, USA.