While Millennials and Gen-Xers make up a good chunk of the cannabis market, Baby Boomers are consuming marijuana more frequently than ever before, according to a report published in June.

Marijuana demographics

According to the study examining patterns of cannabis consumption among Americans aged 50 and older, use increased more than 70 percent between 2006 and 2013. The data also revealed that “a larger proportion of adults in the older adult population used marijuana medicinally in contrast to recreational use.”

The review of demographic data compiled between 2000-2017 and analyzed by a team of researchers from the University of Florida was published in the journal Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine..

Baby Boomers came of age in Age of Aquarius. If you were born between the years of 1945 and 1964, chances are you wore bell-bottoms, watched the Beatles perform on “The Ed Sullivan Show” and heard Timothy Leary urge his acolytes to “turn on, tune in and drop out.”

The familiarity of marijuana – especially among soldiers returning from the Vietnam War – was at its peak. Because of this historic connection, most Boomers simply do not perceive cannabis use as a major health risk. According to the report, 75 percent of older Americans believe regular consumption has no risk or a slight risk.

The study concluded that “the greatest increase in marijuana use was observed among those in the older adult population 50 years or older, and those 65 years or older had the greatest increase in marijuana use among all older users.”

Marijuana use by age group – 50 and up

Past-year prevalence of marijuana use ranged from 5.6 percent to 9.1 percent among those 50 to 64 years old and 1.3 percent to 2.0 percent among those 65 years or older. The analysis determined that past-year marijuana use by age group, among those 50 to 64 years old increased 10.1 percent annually, and past-year marijuana use among those 65 years or older increased 15.3 percent annually. Prevalence is higher among marijuana users in the 50 to 64 age group; however, the largest increase in use has been found among those 65 years or older.

Read the whole report at The Spokesman-Review