COIOS
Behavioural science Item new peer-reviewed

One in nine older US cannabis users meets criteria for cannabis use disorder

In the 2021-2024 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 8.9% of US adults aged 65 and over had used cannabis in the past year, and 11.4% of those met DSM-5 criteria for cannabis use disorder, 76.0% of them at mild severity.

A secondary analysis of four years of the National Survey on Drug Use and Health described cannabis use and cannabis use disorder among 21,189 non-institutionalised US adults aged 65 and over. Past-year use was 8.9%, and 11.4% of past-year users met two or more DSM-5 criteria for the disorder. Relative risk of disorder was highest with past-year mental illness (2.93), other drug use (3.22), smoking as the modality (4.94) and use on 300 or more days a year (3.70).

Why it is interesting: Sets out use, disorder and modality of cannabis in adults aged 65 and over, alongside the characteristics associated with disorder.

Source
Addiction, 28 September 2026
DOI
10.1111/add.70600
Type
Peer-reviewed article
Design
Cross-sectional secondary analysis of the National Survey on Drug Use and Health 2021–2024, unweighted n=21,189 aged 65 and over
Verdict
New finding
Driver
Alcohol and drug use
Driver
Mental health