Axios – President Trump signed an executive order on Thursday that launches a pilot program authorizing Medicare to cover cannabis products for seniors.
Why it matters: Trump’s embrace of marijuana could be a game-changer for older people who are seeking alternative treatments for common ailments.
Driving the news: Marijuana use among older adults in the U.S. is growing fast.
In 2023, 7% of adults aged 65 or older reported that they had used it in the past month, per an NYU study published this summer.
That’s up from 4.8% in 2021 and 5.2% in 2022 — a nearly 46% increase in just two years.
Catch up quick: The executive order reclassifies marijuana as a Schedule III drug under the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency in addition to authorizing the Medicare pilot.
The reclassification puts cannabis in a category with Tylenol with codeine, rather than with Schedule I drugs such as heroin and LSD.
It also authorizes Medicare to fully cover CBD products for patients.
What they’re saying: “The facts compel the federal government to recognize that marijuana can be legitimate in terms of medical applications when carefully administered,” Trump said.
He added that such applications include substituting marijuana for “addictive” and “potentially lethal” opiates.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) did not immediately respond to Axios’ request for comment.
Here’s what we know about a pilot program for Medicare to cover cannabis:
What the order means for seniors, Medicare
The fine print: Medicare will specifically only cover cannabidiol products, or CBD.
Coverage will start “as early as April of next year at no charge, if their doctors recommend them,” CMS administrator Mehmet Oz said at the signing.
The Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) has recently indicated an openness to loosening cannabis product restrictions …
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