Balfour Senior Living Offering Residents Cannabis 101 Courses

As the stigma continues to wear off cannabis use in Colorado, more senior citizens are venturing into new medical and recreational territories. And to help with their explorations, a Colorado infused-product maker is hitting them where they live.

Stratos, a company known for its pharmaceutical-style products infused with cannabinoids, will be teaching a series of Cannabis 101 classes to Balfour Senior Living residents in August and September. The free seminars, which are also open to the public, will be held at Balfour's locations in Denver and Louisville. “We’re excited to help the senior community learn about cannabis and how it may aid them with a range of medical ailments and to ease the pains of aging,” says Stratos CEO Bradley Orr. “We’re looking forward to educating this group on the various new types of cannabis delivery methods, as the industry has evolved drastically in the last few years."

Adults aged fifty and older are a rapidly growing group of pot users, according to a study published in 2016 by the Society for the Study of Addiction, which shows that pot consumption among those between the ages of fifty and 64 increased 57.8 percent from 2006-07 to 2012-13 — and that was before recreational sales even began in Colorado.

The average age of a Colorado medical marijuana patient has risen from 39 in 2009 to 45 in June 2017, according to the state's Medical Marijuana Registry. Over 38 percent of Colorado medical marijuana patients were 51 or older as of this past June, compared to 33.1 percent for the same age group in July 2014, when the registry began tracking demographic data.

Attendees at the Balfour classes will be schooled on medical cannabis benefits and products by Dr. Joseph Cohen and Dr. Sarah Berke with Holos Health, a holistic-health practice that specializes in medical marijuana evaluations.

“Many of our residents and their family members are interested in how cannabis can help with pain management, macular degeneration, chronic fatigue, depression, arthritis, sleep disorders and more," Balfour corporate communications director Lindsay Mitchell says in a statement. "These sessions will be a great opportunity for our residents and their caregivers to gather the necessary information about cannabis and determine whether it’s right for their current health regimen.”

Will Balfour residents be able to light up in their rooms afterward? Not exactly, but they will have other consumption options, as Mitchell explains via email: "Balfour campuses are non-smoking. However, we do allow consumption of edibles and tablets throughout the continuum of care for those who make that choice for themselves. Within our licensed settings, we do require a physician's order."

The schedule for the four seminars:

3 p.m. August 8 at The Lodge at Balfour
1331 East Hecla Drive, Louisville
RSVP: 303-867-6400

3 p.m. August 18 at Balfour at Riverfront Park
1500 Little Raven Street, Denver
RSVP: 720-360-4500

3:30 p.m. August 23 at The Villa at Balfour
1855 Plaza Drive, Louisville
RSVP: 303-926-1000

4 p.m. September 15 at Balfour Stapleton
2979 Uinta Street, Denver
RSVP: 720-556-2200