The Cannabis Talk That Doesn't Happen

Clinicians screened just one in three older patients for drug use, and discussed cannabis with fewer still—leaving women and minoritized groups out most.

By
Andrea Surnit
June 11, 2026
4 min

Conexiant

Objective:

To analyze the prevalence of discussions about cannabis use among older adults with clinicians.

Approach:

Key Findings:

Fewer than 1 in 5 older adults who reported past-year cannabis use discussed it with a clinician.
37% of older adults reported being asked about marijuana or illegal drug use by a healthcare professional.
Discussions about cannabis use were more likely among those with 2 or more chronic conditions and mild mental illness.
Hispanic/Latine older adults were less likely to report screening and discussions compared to White older adults.
Past-year alcohol use was positively associated with screening but negatively associated with discussions among cannabis users.

Interpretation:

Limitations:

Screening questions combined cannabis with other illegal drugs, limiting cannabis-specific analysis.
Self-reported data not validated against medical records.
Cross-sectional design limits understanding of why screening and discussion rates differ.
Low response rates and exclusion of certain populations limit generalizability.