Cannabis warning as number of OAPs hospitalized for drugs hits record high – some patients in their 90s

A record number of older Brits were admitted to hospital after smoking cannabis last year, amid a wave of ‘silver smokers’, shocking new figures show.

Proponents of the drug often claim that marijuana is safe because it is “natural.”

Yet between April 2023 and March 2024, more than 2,700 adults aged 65 and over – including nine over 90 – were admitted to hospital in England with side effects or overdoses.

It marks an increase of 56 percent from pre-pandemic levels and a whopping 650 percent from a decade ago.

Patients reported experiencing hallucinations, withdrawal symptoms and even cannabis poisoning.

In Great Britain, laws surrounding the medicinal use of cannabis were relaxed six years ago.

This allowed specialist doctors to prescribe drugs based on the drug to some patients with epilepsy, or treat vomiting associated with the treatment of cancer and symptoms of multiple sclerosis.

Meanwhile, the drug has enjoyed a meteoric rise in the US over the past decade, culminating in legal recreational use in 24 states.

This is evident from figures from the NHS, obtained by The sunAdmissions among older adults included 1,100 patients in their 70s, 110 in their 80s and nine in their 90s.

Experts attributed the rise partly to older people trying to self-medicate.

The National Drug Prevention Alliance said, “Many people who were teenagers in the 1960s never gave it up or returned to it later in life.”

The UK Addiction Treatment Centers group added: ‘Cannabis is unfortunately not seen as a dangerous drug, but it absolutely could be.’

Other experts have also previously speculated that some older adults may not be aware of the drug’s power.

The data also showed that 22 infants and children under the age of four were admitted for cannabis poisoning.

It is believed that they accidentally consumed it or were in the room when the parents smoked.

In total, more than 57,000 people were admitted due to side effects or overdoses.

According to the figures, obtained by The Sun, admissions among older adults included 1,100 patients in their 70s, 110 in their 80s and nine in their 90s.

But the figure also includes those who may have been hospitalized more than once with the same diagnosis.

Typical symptoms of a cannabis overdose include paranoia, hallucinations or numbness in your arms and legs, according to the health department.

Separate annual figures from the Office for National Statistics show that cannabis is still the most popular drug among 16 to 59 year olds in England and Wales.

Last year, use was highest among 20 to 24-year-olds, official figures show.

Just over a quarter of all young adults surveyed between April 2023 and March 2024 said they had smoked pot at some point in their lives.

THC – one of the main active components in marijuana – stimulates brain areas involved in mood, attention and memory, while triggering the release of the hormone dopamine, which is responsible for feelings of reward and pleasure.

Small, infrequent doses have little long-term impact, according to studies.

But with long-term, regular use, signals in these important brain areas can go wrong.

Studies have shown that frequent cannabis use can increase the risk of serious mental health conditions such as schizophrenia, as well as insomnia, social anxiety disorders and suicidal thoughts.

A 2019 study from researchers at Kings College London also found that daily use of high-potency cannabis can increase the risk of psychosis among users fivefold.