Here’s how many Medicare patients use marijuana even though it’s not covered

A new report shows that Medicare users and medical marijuana patients have a lot in common. According to a survey reported by US News, 1 in 5 Medicare patients uses medicinal cannabis. Cannabis is not covered by Medicare in any state.

The survey, conducted among 1,250 Medicare beneficiaries, also found that 23% of them had used cannabis in the past. Of all recipients, 21% use medicinal cannabis to treat an illness.

RELATED: Poll: Seniors in pain want to try cannabis, but this is holding them back

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According to the survey, patients used medical marijuana primarily to treat anxiety, closely followed by chronic pain. Other conditions that have been filed include depression, glaucoma, HIV symptoms such as nausea, depression and more. Two-thirds of respondents said they agreed with a statement that said medical marijuana should be covered by Medicare.

Interestingly, current medical marijuana users aren’t very keen on Medicare covering cannabis. They believe Medicare coverage could increase the price of the product, causing them to pay more for the product they choose to consume in the long run.

Finally, 31% of Medicare users oppose Medicare’s coverage of marijuana, citing a lack of research and knowledge about the drug as the primary reason for their reluctance.

Medicare is government health insurance for people over the age of 65, a demographic that includes many medical marijuana users. In recent years, seniors have steadily increased their medical marijuana use, coinciding with the legalization of cannabis across the country.

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While Medicare tends to cover drugs like narcotics, something that differs from the more naturalistic direction of cannabis, its coverage would mean a lot to the cannabis community as a whole and lend some validity to its medicinal use. Still, there is still a long way to go and more research and a more stable industry are needed before such big steps can be taken.