Researchers fret as info lags on pot effects on older adults

Abundant research has been done on how the drug impacts developing brains, but little is known about the potential consequences on older users — even as recreation pot has been legalized in a number of states.

Researchers at New York University say pot could pose health challenges to older users ranging from memory loss to risk of falling.

U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy said last year that marijuana can be helpful for treating certain ailments, but he added that medical marijuana research is preliminary and he called for more research.

"Before the liberalization of marijuana policy, lots of young people used marijuana and then as they got jobs and kids and mortgages, they stopped," said Jonathan Caulkins, a professor of public policy at Carnegie-Mellon University who was not involved in the NYU study.