Physician and CNN chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta takes his seventh foray into the world of medical marijuana as he explores cannabis for seniors in “Weed 7: A Senior Moment,” premiering Sunday night on CNN’s The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper.
In the latest episode of his pioneering and Emmy Award nominated series on medical marijuana, Gupta notes that cannabis use by adults aged 65 and older jumped 75% between 2015 and 2018. And today, with recreational marijuana legal in 23 states and medical marijuana legalized in 38 more, seniors are the fastest-growing group of cannabis users in the United States.
annabis use by adults aged 65 and older jumped 75% between 2015 and 2018.
“Over the last decade reporting on medical marijuana, time and time again, what has surprised me the most is the optimism, the possibility, and the impact that carefully controlled cannabis can have, even on seniors, for a better quality of life,” Gupta said in a statement from CNN.
Seniors And Cannabis
To learn more about cannabis use among seniors, Gupta travels from research facilities in Tel Aviv, Israel – often referred to as “the holy land of medical marijuana” – to a senior living community in West Palm Beach, Florida that is participating in an experimental cannabis treatment pilot program. Talking with researchers and patients, he learns more about how seniors are using the drug for pain relief, better sleep, less anxiety, weight gain and other health and wellness uses. In California, he takes a ride on a “cannabus” providing transportation to seniors who do not otherwise have access to marijuana dispensaries, and visits one of the largest cannabis growing operations in the world, where plants are bred and grown with older consumers in mind.
CNN chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta
“Weed 7: A Senior Moment” features interviews with doctors and researchers at the forefront of the field, as well as first-person accounts from seniors about their experience using cannabis. The program explores how the evolving stigma surrounding marijuana is impacting a growing number of seniors around the world, decreasing their prescription drug use and improving their quality of life.
“If you’re over the age of 65, 30% of people are taking five or more prescription meds a day. And many times, again, it’s for those nuisances of aging,” Gupta reported in a promotional piece airing on CNN on Friday. “We’re not talking about statins for cholesterol or diabetes drugs, but sleep and pain and mood.”
A Decade of ‘Weed’
Gupta launched the series about cannabis in 2013 with “Weed,” a documentary in which he revealed he had reevaluated his stance on the medical use of cannabis. Visiting with families who were using the drug to help their seriously ill children, Gupta introduced much of the world to Charlotte Figi, a young girl living with a severe form of epilepsy who became a poster child for the medical marijuana and CBD movements before succumbing to her disease in 2020 at the age of 13. As the first episode was set to air, Gupta apologized for his previous dismissal of medical marijuana, noting he was part of the wholesale rejection of cannabis by the government and the medical establishment.
“We have been terribly and systematically misled for nearly 70 years in the United States, and I apologize for my own role in that,” he wrote.
Seniors are the fastest-growing group of cannabis users in the United States.
Since that groundbreaking initial episode, the “Weed” series of documentaries has delved further into the possibilities for medical marijuana and the steadily progressing cannabis reform movement. Last year’s installment, “Weed 6: Marijuana and Autism,” was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Health or Medical Coverage.
“Weed 7: A Senior Moment” premieres on The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper on Sunday, August 6, on CNN at 8:00 pm Eastern and Pacific Standard Time. Additionally, the program will stream live for pay TV subscribers via CNN.com, CNN OTT and mobile apps on the same day. “Weed 7: A Senior Moment” will also be available on demand beginning Monday, August 7, to pay TV subscribers via CNN.com, CNN apps and cable operator platforms.
