A recent government study is raising some eyebrows. It found marijuana use is growing among an unlikely group -- baby boomers.
The most dramatic rise was among those 55 to 59 years old. Their reported use more than tripled.
Boomers, those born between 1946 and 1964, came of age as marijuana became more popular in this country. They used it in their teens and 20s, and some are still using it today.
Michael Wayda is among them. He said his first exposure to marijuana was in California in the military in 1972.
"Everybody I knew was smoking pot," Wayda told 12 News' Joyce Garbaciak. "So it was a daily thing."
Today, the retired chiropractor raises alpacas at his farm outside Cambridge, Wis. But the habit that started long ago continues today.
Wayda said for the last 25 years, he has used pot daily when he could.
"Depending on the quality, it lasts 5 to 6 hours if I smoke it," he said. "If I eat it, in cookies, brownies and candies, it lasts a lot longer."
Wayda is not surprised by the federal survey that says more than 4 million adults, 50 and older, had used an illicit drug in the last year, marijuana being the drug used most often.
The most dramatic rise was among his age group -- 55 to 59 year olds. Their reported marijuana use more than tripled since 2002 to 5.1 percent.
"They don't have children in the home," Wayda explained. "They may not be relying on a job that requires them to be drug-tested. There's a lot of reasons the over-50s are coming back to it. It's fun. It's not a big deal."
And he says it eases aches, pains and anxiety.
Others agree. Close to two dozen people rallied earlier this spring at the Wisconsin State Capitol, urging the passage of medical marijuana in Wisconsin. While their efforts failed, the group's leader says boomers like him use pot and will continue to use it because it's familiar.
"They know what it feels like," said Gary Storck of the Wisconsin chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML). "They know it takes away their pain. It eases their anxiety. It uplifts their mood and it doesn't have the downside of pharmaceuticals."
While he may speculate about why boomers use, Michael Fendrich, Ph.D., says it's not that clear.
"It's hard to paint this issue with a very broad brush," said Fendrich, who heads the Center for Addiction and Behavioral Health Research at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
Fendrich says the survey reports trends, not motivating factors.
"The way the question is asked is, 'Have you used this during the past year?' Not 'How often did you use it?'" Fendrich said. "There's no questions assessing if it's dependency or very occasional recreational use."
That makes him wonder about a prediction in the report that says by the year 2020, the number of boomers needing drug treatment will double.
But law enforcement can understand that claim.
"The abuse potential is huge," said David Spakowicz of the Wisconsin Department of Justice. "It's not the same marijuana they may have used back in the '60s and '70s."
Spakowicz, a narcotics investigator, believes the potency of today's marijuana should be a concern for boomers. He also wonders about the message boomer use sends to kids.
Web Extra: Narcotics Expert Worries About Increase In Marijuana Use
"Your grandparents or parents are traditionally supposed to be your role models," he said. "And now they decide to start engaging in that activity in their senior years. That's somewhat alarming."
Michael Wayda admits he worried about that as he raised his own three children years ago, so he limited his pot use then.
"You worry that you're not the shining example that you should be," Wayda said.
But with his 10 grandkids, who don't live nearby, it's a different story.
"They know I smoke but it's not anything I want to rub in their face or anything," he said. "I don't find anything wrong with it."
In fact, he's keeping one plot of his land clear for the greenhouse he hopes to build so he can grow his own should medical marijuana ever become legal in Wisconsin.
NewsHawk: Ganjarden: 420 MAGAZINE
Source: WISN Milwaukee
Author: Joyce Garbaciak
Contact: WISN Milwaukee
Copyright: 2010, Internet Broadcasting Systems, Inc.
Website: Pot Use Growing Among Baby Boomers
The most dramatic rise was among those 55 to 59 years old. Their reported use more than tripled.
Boomers, those born between 1946 and 1964, came of age as marijuana became more popular in this country. They used it in their teens and 20s, and some are still using it today.
Michael Wayda is among them. He said his first exposure to marijuana was in California in the military in 1972.
"Everybody I knew was smoking pot," Wayda told 12 News' Joyce Garbaciak. "So it was a daily thing."
Today, the retired chiropractor raises alpacas at his farm outside Cambridge, Wis. But the habit that started long ago continues today.
Wayda said for the last 25 years, he has used pot daily when he could.
"Depending on the quality, it lasts 5 to 6 hours if I smoke it," he said. "If I eat it, in cookies, brownies and candies, it lasts a lot longer."
Wayda is not surprised by the federal survey that says more than 4 million adults, 50 and older, had used an illicit drug in the last year, marijuana being the drug used most often.
The most dramatic rise was among his age group -- 55 to 59 year olds. Their reported marijuana use more than tripled since 2002 to 5.1 percent.
"They don't have children in the home," Wayda explained. "They may not be relying on a job that requires them to be drug-tested. There's a lot of reasons the over-50s are coming back to it. It's fun. It's not a big deal."
And he says it eases aches, pains and anxiety.
Others agree. Close to two dozen people rallied earlier this spring at the Wisconsin State Capitol, urging the passage of medical marijuana in Wisconsin. While their efforts failed, the group's leader says boomers like him use pot and will continue to use it because it's familiar.
"They know what it feels like," said Gary Storck of the Wisconsin chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML). "They know it takes away their pain. It eases their anxiety. It uplifts their mood and it doesn't have the downside of pharmaceuticals."
While he may speculate about why boomers use, Michael Fendrich, Ph.D., says it's not that clear.
"It's hard to paint this issue with a very broad brush," said Fendrich, who heads the Center for Addiction and Behavioral Health Research at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
Fendrich says the survey reports trends, not motivating factors.
"The way the question is asked is, 'Have you used this during the past year?' Not 'How often did you use it?'" Fendrich said. "There's no questions assessing if it's dependency or very occasional recreational use."
That makes him wonder about a prediction in the report that says by the year 2020, the number of boomers needing drug treatment will double.
But law enforcement can understand that claim.
"The abuse potential is huge," said David Spakowicz of the Wisconsin Department of Justice. "It's not the same marijuana they may have used back in the '60s and '70s."
Spakowicz, a narcotics investigator, believes the potency of today's marijuana should be a concern for boomers. He also wonders about the message boomer use sends to kids.
Web Extra: Narcotics Expert Worries About Increase In Marijuana Use
"Your grandparents or parents are traditionally supposed to be your role models," he said. "And now they decide to start engaging in that activity in their senior years. That's somewhat alarming."
Michael Wayda admits he worried about that as he raised his own three children years ago, so he limited his pot use then.
"You worry that you're not the shining example that you should be," Wayda said.
But with his 10 grandkids, who don't live nearby, it's a different story.
"They know I smoke but it's not anything I want to rub in their face or anything," he said. "I don't find anything wrong with it."
In fact, he's keeping one plot of his land clear for the greenhouse he hopes to build so he can grow his own should medical marijuana ever become legal in Wisconsin.
NewsHawk: Ganjarden: 420 MAGAZINE
Source: WISN Milwaukee
Author: Joyce Garbaciak
Contact: WISN Milwaukee
Copyright: 2010, Internet Broadcasting Systems, Inc.
Website: Pot Use Growing Among Baby Boomers
