More people in their 50s and 60s are abusing illegal and prescription drugs, says the Miami Herald. While the use of illicit drugs remains relatively uncommon among people 65 and older, the number of illicit drug users 50 to 59 years old tripled between 2002 and 2011, from 900,000 to 2.7 million, according to the National Institutes of Health. The increase prompted the NIH to post its first consumer alert on its website, NIHSeniorHealth.

More older adults are also seeking treatment for substance abuse. Drug-related hospitalizations and visits to emergency rooms were up 116 percent in the 55-to-64 age group from 2004 to 2010. When asked if they had used an illicit drug in the past 30 days, boomers from 55 to 59 years old also posted the single largest increase of any age group in a single year. In 2010, 4.1 percent admitted to usage. By 2011, 6 percent did. “That’s largely due to marijuana,” says Jim Hall, an epidemiologist for the Center on Applied Research on Substance Use and Health Disparities at Nova Southeastern University. “These are people who began using it in the 1960s, when the use of marijuana escalated dramatically from 1966 to 1973, and they may never have quit.” Though the actual number of midlife drug users is significantly lower in comparison to teenagers and twentysomethings, the alarming spike moved the NIH to urge physicians and family members to be alert for warning signs of drug abuse in older people.