Study: Most U.S. Medical Marijuana Patients over 40 Years Old

Data compiled from medical marijuana patient registries in 8 states were used to determine the average age of medical marijuana patients across the U.S. Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health found that the data showed that those in their 40s and 50s made up the majority of the U.S. medical marijuana patients.

These numbers were published prior to the full assessment that will be printed in the Drug and Alcohol Dependence journal, according to NORML.

A breakdown of some numbers from the study:

• 50-percent of Alaskan patients are over 50
• 58-percent of Nevada patients are over 45
• Nearly 50-percent of Vermont’s patients are over 55
• 44-percent of Oregon’s patients are over 50

The information used for this study came from data in states where mandatory patient registry programs are in place. The study reported, “In several states, individuals in their 50s represented the largest age group of participants.”

As a whole, the study also found that there are approximately 650,000 medical marijuana patients nationwide.