Some Retirees Choose to Settle in States Where Marijuana is Legal

Some retirees are choosing to move to states where marijuana is legal, according to Reuters.

Michael Stoll, a professor of public policy at University of California, Los Angeles, says there is anecdotal evidence that a growing number of people with health conditions which medical marijuana could help treat are relocating to states with legalized marijuana.

According to United Van Lines, Oregon was the top U.S. moving destination last year. The state passed a ballot initiative legalizing recreational marijuana last November. The Mountain West, including Colorado—which legalized recreational marijuana in 2012—had the highest percentage of people moving there to retire, the company noted.

“A lot of the things marijuana is best at are conditions which become more of an issue as you get older,” said Taylor West, Deputy Director of the Denver-based National Cannabis Industry Association. “Chronic pain, inflammation, insomnia, loss of appetite: All of those things are widespread among seniors. In Colorado, since legalization, many dispensaries have seen the largest portion of sales going to baby boomers and people of retirement age.”

“Our demographic is not punk kids,” said Karl Keich, founder of Seattle Medical Marijuana Association, a collective garden in Washington State. “About half of the people coming into our shop are seniors. It’s a place where your mother or grandmother can come in and feel safe.”