Chicken Or Egg? Cannabis Brands Target Seniors As Older Americans Use More Weed

America’s aging cannabis consumers are becoming one of cannabis’ biggest growth opportunities. A recent Wall Street Journal feature pointed out that the cannabis industry is targeting aging baby boomers with products, advertising campaigns and events designed specifically for older consumers.

But that raises “Which came first: the chicken or the egg?“ question: Is the industry simply responding to growing cannabis use among older Americans, or is its marketing helping drive that growth?

A growing body of research suggests the trend was already well underway among Baby Boomers. According to a last year’s JAMA Internal Medicine study, past-month cannabis use among Americans 65 and older jumped from 4.8% in 2021 to 7% in 2023. These results built on a longer shift where past-year use among seniors had already risen from less than 1% in 2005 to 4.2% in 2018. Researchers highlighted increases among women, college-educated adults, married adults, and people earning over $75,000.

Why are seniors using cannabis? The first thing that comes to mind is aging-related problems. A 2104 University of Michigan National Poll on Healthy Aging revealed the most common reasons for those aged 50 and above are relaxation (81%), sleep (68%), enjoying the effects (64%) and pain relief (63%), while more than half also cite mental health or mood (53%). Forty percent of those asked said they use cannabis to treat a medical condition.

Looking at the market, it seems that companies aren’t just selling cannabis to seniors but rather tailor products around the reasons seniors say they use it. One example is Senior Moments, a brand founded by entrepreneur Eric Blazak, who deliberately built the brand around senior citizens to seize the new opportunity.

“CBD had just been made federally legal, and so we looked through the numbers, and it looked awesome as a business,” according to Blazak, who gave up his law career and entered cannabis.

His brand offers low-dose tinctures, gummies, and mints and can be found in several upstate New York dispensaries. The products feature familiar flavors, cautious dosing, and a “slow and low” approach to address the trend of older adults easing back into cannabis after years of not using it.

Over the years, the targeting has become more sophisticated. Miss Grass has featured an 80-something great-grandmother in a cannabis ad campaign, while the Cannabis Media Council has used senior-focused messaging around intimacy.

Interestingly, Life Is Chill has launched the first-ever Modern Elder Collective Wellness Expo in Phoenix in December 2025, which was tailored for mature adults interested in THC, CBD, and wellness. A second event is to take place on Oct. 1, 2026, according to the company’s recent materials.