Senior citizens are believed to be the fastest-growing demographic of marijuana users in the world. Weed can be used to treat chronic conditions such as arthritis, depression and insomnia and many other conditions that commonly affect the elderly. Many people find that cannabis has far fewer and less serious side effects than prescribed medications. Plus, getting old is often challenging, so why not smoke or vape some weed and have some fun? Especially as using CBD products or even smoking weed for medicinal use is no longer illegal in many parts of the world. But what are the best strains for seniors? We compiled an interesting top 5!
The 5 best strains for seniors
1. AK-47
AK-47 is a strain that is especially effective at treating anxiety and depression, conditions which affect many elderly people. It's a Sativa dominant hybrid that provides a steady and durable cerebral high. This will enable you to stay mentally alert and fully functional so you can still engage in your daily activities.
AK-47's aroma is earthy and pungent but the taste is surprisingly flowery. This variety of weed is great for senior citizens who would like to improve their mental health, without becoming completely stoned by some of the more powerful Indicas out there.
Tip: grow your own with our AK-47 seeds
2. Green Crack
Despite its associations with hip hop (Snoop Dogg is rumoured to have given this strain its class A sounding name) Green Crack is highly recommended for senior citizens and that is because of its propensity to fight fatigue or tiredness.
No need to turn to cups of coffee, Green Crack is a powerful Sativa that will fill you with energy and leave you feeling ten years younger (this might be a slight exaggeration!). Green Crack gives a potent mental high that helps to get you through the day without crumbling from fatigue.
The taste is pleasant too, slightly reminiscent of mango, offering a fresh and delicious taste to brighten up your day. All these factors combine to make Green Crack a brilliant strain for any grandparent who has been feeling more tired than usual. Look forward to increased amounts of energy and attention and the desire to make the most out of each day.
Tip: grow your own with our feminized Green Crack seeds
3. Blue Dream
Pain is a difficult concept to describe; everyone is capable of feeling pain, but the long-term chronic pain often suffered by senior citizens can be tricky to diagnose and treat. Sometimes, if the old person does not have an already diagnosed condition causing the pain, it is simply caused by old age itself.
This lack of precision can make it difficult to tackle the pain, as it is often not localised by but a vague sense of discomfort felt throughout the body. This makes topical analgesics ineffective as the source cannot be located. Nevertheless, this also makes cannabis a fantastic solution for this type of pain – thanks to how THC in weed interacts with the CB1 receptors in the patient's endocannabinoid system. Even scientists aren't completely sure how it works, but thousands of OAPs are happy with the result - weed is a wonderful medication to treat pain.
And Blue Dream is a particularly suitable candidate to help combat these vague pains. It is a strain with high levels of THC, enabling it to work incredibly efficiently at alleviating pain. As a Sativa-dominant hybrid, Blue Dream can help you experience the relaxation and mellowness of an Indica, without too much risk of the dreaded “couch-lock” associated with many Indicas. Instead, Blue Dream is renowned for its full-body relaxation and waves of creativity without being too overpowering. This is the ideal strain for treating pain without having to worry about the heavy sedative side-effects of other strains.
Finally, Blue Dream has a sweet grape flavour, paired with a mild and mellow feel in the mouth. Blue Dream is a delight to smoke in addition to offering excellent pain relief.
Tip: grow your own with our feminized Blue Dream seeds
4. Harlequin
Many, many senior citizens are afflicted with arthritis. It is estimated that over 54 million adults suffer from arthritis, but sadly there is no official treatment. This condition casts a blight over the lives of many elderly people who suffer from joint pain and stiffness seemingly without a cause, nor can it be effectively treated. Most prescribed treatments are topical gels or doses of painkillers, many of which do not combat the inflammation and pain that are associated with the condition.
For tackling arthritis with cannabis, Harlequin is the ideal strain. Harlequin is a Sativa-dominant hybrid (75:25) so it offers some of the advantages of Indicas, without leaving you bed-bound (or couch-locked).
Harlequin has been used as a medication for many years, primarily because it has a very high CBD content, although it does contain some THC. This means that smoking Harlequin allows you to effectively treat the pain associated with conditions such as arthritis, whilst still enjoying a clear energising high.
When dealing with arthritis and other conditions with chronic pain, such as fibromyalgia, you need a high-CBD strain such as Harlequin.
Tip: grow your own with our feminized Harlequin seeds
5. Cannatonic
The names of strains names can be a little deceiving. Cannatonic is a good example as it is actually one of the milder strains around which is ideal for medicinal use, despite sounding as if it will knock you out.
Cannatonic has a gentle, relaxing effect that nonetheless delivers an energetic buzz that helps to focus the mind. This is a lovely medical marijuana variety for daily use for people suffering from pain. Cannatonic is definitely a recreational marijuana; it won't get you really high. It is simply a good weed with genuine medicinal effects. About a few after smoking, you will start to notice the gentle effects. A lovely whole-body buzz where all types of pain fade away, mental, physical and emotional.
Cannatonic is a powerfully relaxing strain whilst uplifting and focussing the mind. And many seniors also love the additional effect of the strong warming and numbing sensations that rush over the body. The aroma and taste of Cannatonic is strong, earthy and evocative of pine. In fact, some users have compared the variety to a forest floor.
Tip: grow your own with our feminized Cannatonic seeds