Welcome to Senior Cannabis Digest. This week we look at seniors replacing their meds with marijuana, a policy change by the ATF involving medical marijuana and guns and a retail giant selling hemp-based beverages. Enjoy.
Cannabis News and Notes
Top takeaway: A growing number of older adults are using cannabis as an alternative to pharmaceuticals.
A study conducted by researchers at the University of Utah Health and the University of Colorado Boulder found that “most” older adults who use marijuana do so to avoid negative effects associated with traditional pharmaceuticals or because they’ve exhausted other options to treat conditions such as pain or sleep disorders.
The federally funded study was published in JAMA Network Open, a monthly open access medical journal published by the American Medical Association.
According to Tom Angell, reporting for Marijuana Moment, researchers interviewed 169 adults aged 60 or older who were “seeking relief from age-related ailments (pain or difficulty sleeping) and improved quality of life.”
Said Rebecca Delaney, assistant professor of population health sciences at University of Utah Health who co-authored the study, “Overall, they really wanted better quality of life, reducing their pain, getting better sleep, and being able to enjoy time with family and friends a little bit more.”
Added Angela Bryan, senior author of the study, “For the most part, we found that these folks aren’t really interested in getting high. They just want to feel better.”
The authors noted in their study that 58 percent of older adults chose edibles with a combination of THC and non-intoxicating CBD, compared to 29 percent who selected a CBD-dominant product and 14 percent who went for a THC-dominant edible.
In his article, Angell noted that the authors acknowledged that senior consumers were making numerous decisions about what product can best address their needs and that future research efforts should focus on, “equipping practitioners with practical tools and creating accessible patient resources to ensure older adults can make informed choices about edible cannabis products as part of their care.”
Tom Angell is the editor of Marijuana Moment. As always, his work is clear and concise. To learn more, we urge you to read his article in the May 8, 2026 issue of Marijuana Moment.net.
Medical Marijuana and the Second Amendment
Top takeaway: Registered medical marijuana patients may soon be able to legally purchase a gun.
The rescheduling of marijuana by the DEA has made for some interesting consequences. Case in point: the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) is circulating a draft of a new Firearms Transaction Record form that includes an updated question related to illicit drug use. The question reflects a change in status for medical cannabis patients at the federal level.
So says TG Branfalt, reporting for Ganjapreneur. According to Branfalt, based on the change, the section related to illegal drug use would read, “I am not (eic) an unlawful user of, or addicted to, marijuana or any depressant, stimulant, narcotic drug or any other controlled substance. (Warning: You can be an unlawful user under federal law, even if your possession is legal under state law. Federal law does not permit the use or possession of marijuana for recreational purposes.)”
Given that rescheduling at the federal level allows for the legal use of medical marijuana at the state level, individuals who are registered medical marijuana users would no longer be disqualified from purchasing a firearm based on their status, if the change is approved. Branfalt notes that the ATF has posted the proposed form changes to the Federal Register for public comments.
Comments on the updated form will be accepted by the ATF until July 7, 2026.
In a story that also concerned the legal status of cannabis consumers, a New Jersey appeals court has ruled that two police officers fired for off-duty cannabis use were wrongfully terminated.
New Jersey law protects employees from discipline for off-duty cannabis use so long as there is no evidence of on-duty impairment. The officers were not accused of being intoxicated on the job. Under the ruling, the officers were awarded back pay, plus the benefits and seniority they missed out on due to their reassignment.
TG Branfalt’s reporting on the revised ATF form appears in the May 14, 2026 issue of Ganjapreneur.com.
Graham Abbott’s story about the case of the two New Jersey police officers also appears in the May 14, 2026 issue of Ganjapreneur.com.
Consumer Trends
Top takeaway: Target is adding THC-infused beverages to its locations in Florida, Texas, and Illinois.
There may be good news for mature consumers and others who enjoy hemp-based beverages. Despite a lack of clarity about the legal status of consumer products derived from intoxicating hemp in the near future, retail giant Target has announced its intention to sell THC-infused hemp beverages at its Florida, Texas, and Illinois locations. The products will be available at more than 300 locations across the three states – including all locations in Florida and Texas.
This follows the retailer’s pilot program in 2025 that sold intoxicating hemp beverages containing 5 mg and 10 mg of THC at 10 locations in Minnesota. Recently,Target received approval from the Minnesota Office of Cannabis Management to sell lower-potency hemp products in 72 additional stores for the next year.
According to Lukas Southard and Brad Avery, reporting for the industry publication Bevnet, the future of intoxicating hemp products became complicated when Congress passed a spending bill in November which contained a provision that would ban all hemp products containing more than 0.4 percent THC after November 13, 2026.
Sources told Southard and Avery that Target is believed to be hedging against this potential ban by planning to mark down its intoxicating hemp inventory in October if there is no regulatory solution in place at that point.
While Target has not been an active part of the hemp industry’s lobbying effort in Congress, the expansion into the new states may send a message to lawmakers about the business opportunity.
Wrote Southard and Avery, “The existential threat of November has clouded the category with uncertainty, but it has not deterred other beverage industry stakeholders from seizing the opportunity.
To learn more, we suggest reading the article by Lukas Southard and Brad Avery in the May 5, 2026 issue of Bevnet.com.
https://www.bevnet.com/news/2026/target-expanding-hemp-beverage-sales-to-fla-tex-ill
Senior Cannabis Digest is compiled and edited by Joe Kohut and John Kohut. You can reach them at Joe.kohut @gmail.com and at 347-528-8753.