Senior tours state touting effects of Medical Marijuana
Senior Citizen Advocates for CBD and Medical Marijuana to Alleviate Pain and Improve Quality of Life.
Tucker Jasso, 60, says she would take up way more than the recommended dose of ibuprofen for pain she sustained by “having a really fun life,” referring to several injuries she sustained while growing up on a farm and working in the rodeo circuit.
After taking a daily dose of CBD elixir on an ongoing basis and CBD-based painkillers as needed, Jasso said she now rarely takes conventional medicines for pain.
She has seen similar results in other people, including a close friend named Charlie who had stage 4 pancreatic cancer but felt more comfortable in his final days due to using CBD-based products. “Day by day, his family thought he was getting better because he was so active and so alert,” Jasso said.
While taking the medical marijuana that she suggested, Jasso said, Charlie lived for six weeks in a lucid and present state. “At his funeral, his daughters hugged me and thanked me and that’s something I will never forget,” Jasso said.
Charlie’s story prompted Jasso to start For the Love of Charlie and Inspired by Charlie, two websites that market medical marijuana products for older adults. “I firmly believe that growing older shouldn’t have to hurt so much,” she said. “These products can help so many people and I want to spread the word so that people do not have to suffer like Charlie did.”
About 12 years ago, Jasso, who lives in Lyndon Township, decided to market hemp-based products to senior citizens. The products, which are made up of elixirs, creams, lotions, roll-ons, gummies, and capsules, are branded For the Love of Charlie and are of varying dosages and indications.
“It (CBD-based products) does amazing things for pain,” she said.
Jasso travels to various senior centers and senior living facilities around Macomb and Oakland counties, as well as other parts of Michigan, discussing the benefits for older adults who decide to use CBD products. She calls her visits open houses and has preached the benefits of use and addressed misconceptions many people have about marijuana-based products.
“The biggest (misconception) is that people will get high or addicted. I tell them that they will not get high. We go over labels. We teach them how to read the labels of the products,” she said. “I believe education is just as important as the medicines you take. We can’t make any claims, but what I tell them is about the research I have done. I have ran my own trials. I have spent my own money and I put my own retirement into this. I want to spread the word about these products.”
It’s no surprise that since Michigan and many other states have legalized both medical and recreational marijuana, the use of cannabis-based products is on the rise. The University of Michigan’s Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation recently released a report stating that marijuana use among those ages 50 and older is on the rise.
In 2019, 9.5% of older adults polled reported using cannabis. In the 2023 study, 12% of older adults stated they used a cannabis product four or more times a week. The poll question asked about use of any product containing THC, the main psychoactive component of cannabis, including edibles. It did not differentiate between medical and recreational use of cannabis.
The study concluded that, “Older adults represent a vulnerable age group for cannabis use due to interactions with medications, risky driving, cannabis-related mental health impacts and increased possibility of falls and memory issues,” said Anne Frenandez, an addition psychologist at the University of Michigan Addition Center and Department of Psychiatry.
Fernandez advises older adults who use cannabis products for any reason to be open with their health care provider about it, especially if they also drink alcohol or take certain medications.
Physicians, nurse practitioners and pharmacists can advise if any medications a person is taking might interact with cannabis, including ones for insomnia, depression and anxiety, opioid-containing pain medications, seizure medications and blood thinners.
