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Wednesday, April 2, 2025

Curious About Cannabis? CBD and THD for Seniors

 



As more adults over 50 use cannabis, stay aware of the benefits and risks.


Since 2016, April has been National Cannabis Awareness Month. While marijuana remains a federally illegal Schedule I controlled substance, 15 states have now legalized cannabis for medical use only, and another 24 states allow both medical and recreational use. As more and more states lift restrictions on the drug, more seniors are giving cannabis a try. In fact, 21% of adults over 50 have tried cannabis products over the last year. 

When discussing cannabis products, there’s an important distinction to be made up front between CBD and THC: two sibling phytocannabinoids, a.k.a. compounds produced by the cannabis plant. CBD does not cause a high, while THC does. The two compounds are also legally distinguished by the plants they derive from: either hemp or marijuana, two different species of the cannabis plant. CBD derived from hemp is federally legal, because by U.S. law, hemp is defined as cannabis containing less than 0.3% THC. The legality of CBD products derived from marijuana varies by state, depending on the level of THC they contain. 

Why Seniors are Using CBD and THC Products

Some older adults are longtime marijuana users, and others are taking advantage of new laws to give cannabis products a try for the first time. Among adults over 50 in a Michigan Medicine poll, some reasons given for using cannabis include sleep (68%), help with pain (63%) or mental health (53%), and to relax or feel good (81%). That 81% suggests that for many seniors, the high is the point. The teenagers who smoked pot back in the 60s, 70s, and 80s still enjoy toking up today…just without the thrill of breaking the law. 

For others, a high doesn’t appeal, but the other physical and mental benefits of cannabis do. For these people, the new industry of CBD products provides a boon. According to Madilyn Tucker of SunmedTM | Your CBD Store®, which has over 400 locations nationwide, people try CBD products for all kinds of reasons. “Many of our clients seek CBD as a natural, non-pharmaceutical alternative with benefits that can be truly life changing,” she says. “While some effects are subtle, they can still be deeply meaningful.” 

For people in their 60s, 70s, 80s, and beyond, CBD can make a difference by helping alleviate everyday aches and pains. “We've had customers regain the ability to walk without a cane, attend their grandkids' soccer games, cook family dinners, and enjoy daily walks again,” says Tucker. 

In a recent study, CBD use among older adults was associated with overall physical and mental well-being. Other studies are currently underway with the goal of understanding how both CBD and THC may alleviate anxiety and other symptoms associated with dementia and cognitive decline. 

Before You Try Cannabis

“For most people, CBD is well tolerated, but potential side effects can include mild drowsiness, dry mouth, or digestive discomfort,” Tucker says. “We always recommend consulting with a healthcare professional, especially if taking medications, to ensure CBD is a good fit for their routine.” 

It’s wise to talk with a physician because there’s a lot to learn about the benefits, risks, and potential side effects of THC and CBD products, and how they differ. Since these medicines have become more available and widespread only recently, scientific research is catching up, and there’s still plenty we don’t know about how cannabis affects the brain and body. 

Because of its psychoactive properties, THC side effects may be more concerning than those of CBD. A main issue with THC use is impairment: because THC causes a high, it’s not safe to use while driving. Some people experience paranoia or memory loss with short-term use of THC. There’s also growing awareness of cannabis use disorder, which affects up to 10% of people who start using marijuana. Cannabis use disorder involves regular, heavy use of THC-containing products leading to tolerance and dependency. In the Michigan Medicine poll of cannabis users over 50, more than 20% of respondents reported at least one sign of dependency.

Also, keep in mind that because of the piecemeal state-by-state legalization of THC and CBD products, most CBD products aren’t regulated by the FDA, so quality varies. Look for companies that do third-party testing and prioritize transparency.

Happy Cannabis Awareness Month!

Perhaps, after a decade-long honeymoon since Colorado became the first state to legalize recreational marijuana in 2012, Americans are growing more cautious about cannabis. Last November, only 55.9% of Florida voters wanted to legalize recreational marijuana, short of the 60% needed to pass the measure. Still, the long-term trajectory seems to point toward legalization. As more people of all ages give it a try, awareness of the different types of cannabis-derived products, and their associated benefits and risks, becomes more important than ever. 


Sources: 


Blog posting provided by Society of Certified Senior Advisors

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Giving Back to Today's Entrepreneurs through SCORE

  


The nonprofit SCORE has much to offer both mentors and small business owners--retired or not. 

Starting a small business is not for the faint of heart. As anyone who’s tried it will attest, a small business entrepreneur has to be their own marketing specialist, HR manager, IT technician, and CEO. The experience can feel isolating unless you strategically seek out mentors. One free resource available anywhere in the U.S., SCORE, aims to support business owners by matching them with experienced mentors. And it works: SCORE helped launch over 31,000 businesses in 2023 alone.

SCORE Supports at Every Step

When the nonprofit organization was founded in 1964, SCORE originally stood for Service Corps of Retired Executives. Today, it’s just SCORE, and SCORE mentors are retired, semi-retired, or still working full time in a variety of fields. As a resource partner of the U.S. Small Business Association (SBA), and thanks to its base of talented volunteers, SCORE can offer most of its services for free. 


Three Ways to Connect with SCORE

  • Small Business Resource Hubs. This free online resource library provides webinars, articles, checklists, and more on key business topics like technology, marketing, legal, operations, and disaster preparation. And, SCORE hosts hubs with special resources for veterans and rural entrepreneurs. 
  • Become a mentor. SCORE is looking for mentors with real business expertise to share and 15-20 hours/month to do so. It’s a great opportunity to give back while learning from tomorrow’s business leaders.
  • Find a mentor. Many CSAs are business owners, and SCORE mentors with expertise in your subject matter are available to support remotely or locally, at any stage of your business journey. 

To learn more about SCORE, how the organization supports business owners, and what’s in it for prospective mentors, we talked with two long-time mentors at SCORE Manasota: Jeffrey Mullikin and Jose Martinez. The Manasota chapter has between 70 and 90 active mentors at any given time, and some have been donating their time and expertise for 15 years or more. 

Jose brings over 35 years of business consulting experience to his work with SCORE. From his perspective, Fortune 500 companies and small businesses have similar needs: how to price, how to sell, and how to make money. At SCORE, he says, “We truly help entrepreneurs start up, grow, or spin off their business, every step of the way.” 

SCORE mentors are a diverse bunch: from small business entrepreneurs to corporate CEOs, with expertise from social media strategy to human resources, financial oversight to risk assessment. And the subject matter expertise among mentors ranges all over the board, too. “These folks are so willing and able to help people with their businesses, even if it's not in their industry,” Jose says. When mentors get together for regional meetings, “It’s so impressive how much brainpower is in one room.”

Why Mentor with SCORE?

Giving back is a major motivation for SCORE mentors, says Jeffrey Mullikin. “We may not have called them mentors along the way, but we had folks that were standing with us and giving us guidance and moving us along.” For many recently retired professionals, mentoring with SCORE offers a structured way to share out the expertise built over a lifetime of working and learning in business settings. “Our motivations are about giving back, because we all prospered from that coaching as we came through our careers.”

Over eight years with SCORE, Jeff has mentored more than 100 business owners at different stages of building their companies. He currently has about 16 SCORE clients, with whom he meets as often as once a week or as infrequently as every month or so, depending on where they are in their journey and how much support they’re looking for. Jeff’s expertise is in information technology, but he’s also well-versed in the big picture of getting a business to where it wants to be. Over the course of his career, he’s consulted with businesses in hospitality, logistics, technology, and many more industries.

Today, he helps train new SCORE mentors. The one to three-month onboarding process helps potential mentors learn about the organization, decide if the commitment is for them, and how to best support new business owners. “I tell a lot of my folks when I bring them on: well, you've now elevated to full Yoda status,” Jeff says.

Another reason to mentor, he shares, is that it’s a chance to learn from mentees in different industries and keep up to date on business trends. “My very first mentoring request I got assigned to me was a person that wanted to break plates.” Like, literally? Yes, the client wanted to start a business offering “rage rooms,” where customers break things to relieve stress. “I knew nothing about breaking plates,” says Jeff, “but I used it as a learning opportunity. Not only did the client educate me, I got educated by doing some industry research.”

Finally, Jeff enjoys when the opportunity arises to work with an entrepreneur whose business takes flight and becomes a big success. “Every so often you get a golden nugget,” he says. “When those happen, not that the others aren’t fulfilling, but it hooks you.” It’s extremely satisfying to feel that, as a mentor, he’s contributed to realizing a client’s dream, and that his client, in turn, is transforming the industry.

Interested in connecting with your own mentor? 

At the SCORE website, prospective mentees can search for mentors by geographic area, expertise, and industry. Or, clients can reach out and describe the kind of support they need, and SCORE will match them with a mentor. The frequency and communication method for mentorship can be worked out between the two parties. Some mentorship arrangements may be targeted and short-term. Others, according to Jose, turn into holistic mentorships that last, in one instance, 19 years, continuing as thought partnerships even after the client doesn’t “need” a mentor anymore. 

Since SCORE was founded, mentors have supported an astonishing 17 million entrepreneurs. CSAs and their clients might find rewards on either or both sides of the SCORE mentor / mentee relationship.




Sources: 

https://www.score.org/naples/resource/article/what-does-score-stand-0




Blog posting provided by Society of Certified Senior Advisors

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