More older US people now using marijuana

As legal use of marijuana becomes more widespread in the United States for recreational and medical purposes, older users are drawing more attention.

Nine percent of adults aged 50-64 reported marijuana use in the past year, according to a 2018 study by researchers from New York University. The figure used data from the 2015-2016 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. That figure was double the percentage of marijuana users of the same age group in 2006-2007.

The study also found nearly 3 percent of adults 65 and older were marijuana users, more than seven times the percentage a decade ago.