By Nicholas Wilbur

Most people remember the drug version of “the birds and the bees” lecture their parents gave them, a warning against criminality, the potential for addiction, and the near-certainty of doing something regrettable while on mind altering substances. In recent years, statistics show that the very parents who hit such a stern professorial tone are actually as much in need of a lecture on drugs as are modern-day teenagers.

According to a survey from the National Institutes of Health, the percentage of people from all age groups who admit to smoking marijuana in the past year has not changed in comparison to similar surveys over the past decade. But among individual demographics, the data is surprising.

The number of those 18 and under who admitted to smoking pot continues to decline. But among those between the ages of 45 and 64, the number has nearly tripled, a phenomenon that has sparked names like the “Puff Daddy” and “Stiletto Stoners” movements.

In five years, the number of adults between the ages of 50 and 59 who said they smoked pot in the past year doubled, from 3 to 6 percent, according to the 2007 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. The 50+ demographic now includes 2.65 million self-reported cannabis users nationwide.

That means there are nearly as many mature adults as high school kids smoking marijuana.
In an attempt to understand this new upward trend, Prime Time surveyed eight professional men and women ranging in age from 50 to 70 years-old who belong to this growing demographic of smokers.

None of those surveyed is the stereotype “stoner” or “pothead” – somewhat derogatory, somewhat accurate terms for people who smoke all day every day. In fact, of the eight people who were willing to discuss their marijuana use, only one said he smoked the drug on a daily basis. They all currently have or have retired from successful careers in mainstream industries. As a condition of their contribution to this report, Prime Time agreed not to name the sources, which brings up the first of several commonalities between these Boomer-aged pot smokers.

“Obviously, this is still a stigma attached to marijuana smoking or I would not care” about being named, one self-employed contributor said. “It is still not legal, hence some of the paranoia.”
Another said he shares his use only with a select group of friends. “I don’t publicize it otherwise, as I don’t see the need to discuss it. Even with its seemingly more ‘acceptable’ alternative to alcohol, it remains illegal and carries with it the continued stigma.”

Despite their personal choices to smoke pot, many of those who participated in Prime Time’s survey still had reservations about being too open about their usage, and few admitted it either publicly or to their families.

“My work requires me to be very wary about doing anything that might cause my personal life to be an issue,” one source said. “I do not talk about marijuana with anyone who is not a user themselves.

The illegality is the biggest reason for keeping this confidential.”

Summing up what was a common response about the duality of caution shared by many sources and the prevalence of marijuana use behind closed doors, one source said, “I cannot think of an intimate close friend who does not smoke. In my public life I don’t know anyone who does smoke.”

There are signs that people’s perceptions of marijuana are changing.

An October 2009 Gallup poll showed that a record number of Americans supported legal recreational use of marijuana for adults. Nearly 50 percent said they agreed marijuana should be legalized and taxed. A May Zogby poll conduced by the conservative-leaning O’Leary Report found that 52 percent of voters supported regulating marijuana.

Although about half of those contacted for this story said they did believe that, depending on mental development, marijuana could serve as a stereotypical “gateway drug,” most had moderate views about the substance, and all preferred it to alcohol.

“It chills you out, leaves no ill effects, helps nausea, aids appetite, alleviates some eye problems, rarely involves aggression or drunken behavior and is cheap to grow and easy to transport and share,” one source said.

According to another, “People who smoke marijuana rarely get into physical fights. It is a much more mellow high than alcohol, more introspective and not loud like alcohol. I believe that if more people smoked, rather than drank, the world would be a more peaceful place.”

A third had this to say: “People do not kill or exhibit other deviant behavior on marijuana alone. It does not inspire aggression or violence.” And as for the stereotype about pot inducing paranoia: “Life makes me paranoid, not marijuana. The blows of living and overcoming the next challenge is what develops paranoia.”

Many of the contacts for this piece reported little to no use while establishing their careers and during child-raising years. One theory for the raise in Boomer usage is that as people age and either retire or approach retirement age, there are fewer responsibilities and more free time. Several sources said they began smoking marijuana only after their kids were grown and out of the house.
“Perhaps younger people are not using marijuana so much because they are more career oriented,” one source suggested. “They may not want to be perceived as hippies and just hang out. Those over 50 may be smoking more because they have already had their career and do want to just hang out.”

One woman, who still has a child in the house but smokes socially, said that as she ages she cares less and less about what other people think. “I don’t want my youngest daughter knowing, but someday we will smoke our first joint together I am sure.”

Another source said that while it is not a subject he shares while in his professional capacity, he thinks “more people are open to the idea of the recreational use of marijuana, especially in recent years.” He added that the vast amounts of publicity marijuana has received has changed perceptions in his own family. “With its presence in many news headlines, more and more people are aware of it. Even my own parents – ultra-conservatives – are open to the idea of legalizing it.”

Most of those who shared their stories with Prime Time advocated legalization.

“It should be legalized as should all of the non-prescription illegal drugs,” one source said. “We are supporting a lot of bad people around the world, including those in Afghanistan and Colombia. All of it should be legalized, taxed and the proceeds should go to drug and alcohol intervention and treatment.”

He added, “I feel that because it is illegal we prosecute too many young adults who could be very good contributors to society.”

Another influence in the changing of people’s perceptions may be that 14 state governments have acknowledged that marijuana can be a pain-relieving alternative to other drugs, prescription and non-prescription. New Mexico is one such state that has legalized marijuana as a “medicine” useful for victims of cancer, glaucoma, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy and many other conditions.
In 2007, Gov. Bill Richardson signed into law the “Lynn and Erin Compassionate Use Act,” which gave the state Department of Health the power to govern state-licensed production facilities and develop a patient registry for marijuana distribution.

Even the federal government has demonstrated a more lax stance on this issue. It was a year ago this month that U.S. attorney general, Eric H. Holder Jr., said the Justice Department would no longer pursue prosecution for pot dispensaries that are operating under state laws in states that have legalized medicinal use of the drug. And the movement toward legalization is gaining new followers every day.

No one contacted for this story advocated for the recreational use of marijuana or any other drugs. However, many of the viewpoints expressed here fall in line with those of a growing number of 50+ Americans, whether about the war on drugs, the preference of marijuana to alcohol, the pro-legalization stance and the view that personal choices that are not harmful to others, even choices that are kept out of the public or professional sphere, are not the government’s business.

Just don’t expect to see any local leaders jump at the opportunity to share their personal stories about marijuana use as evidence that the movement is more popular than ever before. After all, state and national laws view these people, at least for now, as criminals.