close Video Some doctors say medical marijuana can help seniors manage pain Fox News anchor Bret Baier has the latest on expanding treatment to aging Americans on 'Special Report.' A new initiative dubbed The Commonwealth Project, based in Massachusetts, aims to integrate medical cannabis into traditional health care for seniors . "People 65 and over are the fastest-growing segment using cannabis, but they're using it for ailments of aging, [for] relief," Howard Kessler, the group’s founder, told Fox News.
Medical marijuana is legal in 37 states, four U.S. territories and Washington, D.
C. SEVERAL GROUPS SAY CANNABIS MAY HELP AGING AMERICANS MANAGE PAIN It is not legal at the federal level, however, which means doctors cannot prescribe cannabis. "I've talked to many physicians who say they get asked five times a day by their patients, 'I'd like to try [it].
' And the physician says, 'I think you should. But I'm of no help,'" William Van-Faasen, former CEO of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, told Fox News. Most states do require documentation for medical marijuana.
Medical marijuana is not legal at the federal level, meaning doctors cannot prescribe cannabis. (iStock) The Compassionate Use Act allows health care providers to write recommendations for the substance instead of traditional prescriptions. "Doctors need to know the benefits that cannabis has on seniors’ lives," Keith Myers, CEO of MorseLife Health System, a senior living community based in Palm Beach, Flo.
