AMA Says Marijuana Has Benefits And Risks For Older Adults, While Supporting A Ban On Flavored Cannabis Vapes

The American Medical Association (AMA) has adopted two new marijuana-related resolutions—one that advocates for a ban on flavored cannabis vaping products and another that recognizes the risks and potential therapeutic benefits of use among older adults.

AMA’s House of Delegates last month approved both measures—the latest in a line of drug policy-related resolutions the body has advanced in recent years that oppose commercial marijuana legalization while backing expungement of cannabis records and supporting broad drug decriminalization, among stances on other issues.

The newly adopted measure on marijuana use by older people simultaneously notes that there is a “higher incidence of dementia among individuals who use cannabis” but also that “cannabis may offer therapeutic benefits for managing agitation in dementia patients, potentially serving as an alternative to antipsychotic medications.”

“Greater transparency regarding both the potential benefits and adverse effects of cannabis use in older adults would be valuable to physicians, particularly given the current paucity of research that is focused on this population,” it says.

As such the measure maintains that:

“RESOLVED, that our American Medical Association support the development and publication of educational resources on medical cannabis directed towards clinicians, including a virtual educational presentation that reviews the known effects of medical cannabis in older adults that highlights both its potential benefits and risks; and be it further

RESOLVED, that our AMA encourage expanded research into the therapeutic uses of cannabis in older adults—such as for managing agitation in individuals with cognitive impairment—as well as its possible adverse effects.”

The separate AMA-approved measure on flavored cannabis vapes argues that cannabis can have a “strong, earthy, or even bitter taste” that some users find “unpalatable” and that flavored cartridges can “mask the unpleasant taste of cannabis”—which it says have “increased adolescents’ willingness to try them.”

As such, the resolution concludes that:

“RESOLVED, that our American Medical Association advocate and support a complete ban on the production, marketing, and sale of Cannabis based ECIG flavored devices and cartridges throughout all regulated cannabis dispensaries (medical and adult-use) along with any outlet selling hemp products and public health entities; and be it further

RESOLVED, that our AMA pursue legislative changes concerning a comprehensive ban on the production, marketing and sale of cannabis-based ECIG flavored devices and cartridges in the United States.”

The newly adopted resolutions build on AMA’s existing policies taking stances on various cannabis and drug policy issues.

In 2024, for example, AMA delegates adopted a resolution endorsing broad drug decriminalization.

The group’s delegates in 2022 voted to amend its policy position on marijuana—which continues to oppose legalization—to support the expungement of past cannabis convictions in states that have legalized the plant.

In 2023, AMA members adopted resolutions advocating for psychedelics research, opposing the criminalization of kratom, calling for an end to the sentencing disparity between crack and powder cocaine and supporting the continued inclusion of marijuana metabolites in employment-based drug tests.