Older Adults and Edible Cannabis: What a 2026 Study Reveals About Choice and Uncertainty

Researchers interviewed 169 adults aged 60 and older in Colorado before they purchased an edible cannabis product. Participants were interested in using cannabis in connection with pain, sleep or mental-health concerns. The interviews examined motivations, expected benefits, perceived drawbacks and the cannabinoid profile each participant intended to choose.

A THC-CBD combination was selected by 57.5% of participants. CBD-dominant products were selected by 28.7%, while 13.8% selected THC-dominant products. These figures describe consumer choices in this particular study. They do not establish that one profile is safer, more effective or more appropriate than another.

Common motivations included wanting to avoid pharmaceuticals, feeling that other options had been exhausted, facing new or increasing concerns, and hearing claims or anecdotes about potential benefit. The study shows how adults may make decisions in an environment where personal stories and expectations can be easier to find than clear clinical guidance. Concerns changed with cannabinoid profile Participants considering THC-containing products commonly worried about feeling high, becoming impaired or having difficulty with daily activities. Uncertainty about effectiveness was the most common concern for CBD-dominant products. People choosing combination products also questioned how to identify an appropriate THC-to-CBD ratio.

The interviews took place before participants used the selected products. The research therefore cannot tell us whether symptoms improved, whether harms occurred or whether one cannabinoid profile worked better. The convenience sample was already interested in edible cannabis, so the findings should not be generalized to every older adult.

Older adults may use several prescription and non-prescription medications, making healthcare conversations especially important. Product effects can vary with dose, THC and CBD content, health conditions, other substances and individual response. Research literacy means separating why people are interested from evidence that a product has been proven to help.

This study is most useful as a window into uncertainty. It highlights the questions older adults are already asking about effectiveness, impairment, product ratios and other medications. Those questions deserve clear evidence and qualified healthcare guidance, not product promises or assumptions based on a single study.

Research and source notes: Delaney RK et al. JAMA Network Open. 2026;9(5):e2611718. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2026.11718 • Health Canada: Cannabis for medical purposes information