This week began with an unofficial holiday, observed internationally but especially in the United States. April 20, or 4/20, is weed day, an unofficial cannabis holiday for those who partake, which includes a growing number of midlife women. Yup. Weed use is up among the over-60 set.

According to Neuroscience News, marijuana use among U.S. adults 65 and older has increased nearly 46% in two years, with college-educated, married, and higher-income women leading the surge.

This had me reminiscing all week about living the high life during and after menopause to treat chronic pain and insomnia. Five highlight moments still stick in my mind.

1

In 2018, on the one-year anniversary of my sister’s husband’s death from cancer, and less than six months after the death of our father from Alzheimer’s, my sister and I traveled to Denver for a “420 tour.” We stayed in a nice hotel, toured dispensaries and grow farms, had tutorials in selecting cannabis products, and took a sushi and joint-rolling class. I learned the term “regredibles” after chowing down on too many edibles — tasty sour apple and salted caramel weed gummy candies — for the first time. Four yummy gummies, a margarita, and a rooftop bar are not a good newbie combo. I also learned that learning to roll sushi should most definitely come before the learning-to-roll-a-joint lesson. For sure if that lesson includes smoking said joint in a hotbox.

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2

After trying a homemade weed gummy that a midlife friend gave me one weekend, I went to an orchid show at the botanical gardens in my city. I saw a dial on the wall of an art gallery there and said, “Oh look! It’s an interactive exhibit!” I started trying to turn the dial when another friend stopped me. “Natalie, that’s a thermostat.”

Only bedtime use of tiny amounts in my own home for me.

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3

I moved to Portugal in 2022, and had no intention of Brittany Griner-ing myself by bringing weed oil cartridges on the plane to a foreign country. Even though Portugal decriminalized all drugs in 2001, marijuana is not legal here; you just won’t go to jail for personal use. I was surprised to find there are no THC dispensaries here. No fancy Indica- or Sativa-labeled herb, edibles, or oil in specified THC dosages. Just old-school bags of potpourri-looking herb discretely purchased from an individual. A neighbor’s 70-year-old dealer dad schooled me on what’s what in the world of weed here.

Smoking is not for me, and I don’t like surprises or high doses, so cannabis is not a thing for me here in Portugal. I’m not breaking any laws, and the only thing I’m getting high on is love.

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4

In 2024, I went to my childhood home in Ohio to surprise my mother for Mothers Day. During that visit, I was tasked with getting Mom her medical marijuana card. We spent several afternoons experimenting with optimal gummy dosages for pain control together. Laughing, watching crappy Tyler Perry movies on Netflix, and munching our way through every bag of stale Cheetohs, greasy kettle chips, and Costco-sized boxes of past-their-prime York Peppermint Patties Mom had stashed in the pantry. This is a memory I will always cherish. I didn’t know then that that visit would be the last time I’d see my mother in that house. I also didn’t know then that, after I’d spent hundreds of dollars to get her the medical card, Ohio would legalize recreational weed use six months later.

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5

Summer 2025. My last visit to Ohio, when I watched my mother die after suddenly and unexpectedly going into hospice. She died seven days after I arrived for what was supposed to be a seven-week stay to help her recover at home after leaving the hospital.

A weed-savvy, over-65 friend drove me to a local dispensary for some low-dose gummies. A nearby  neighborhood restaurant sold chilled cans of THC-infused margaritas at its carryout counter. Very low dose and wonderfully calming and pain-relieving. Pain is pain. A bad back, shot knees, cancer, or a broken and grieving heart. I was grateful for the relief.

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Back in Portugal in 2026, weed day wasn’t a thing here this week on the Silver Coast as far as I can tell. It was just another lovely 4/20 overlooking the ocean. Relief, calm, laughter. These come in many different forms — from many different sources.

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Thank you for reading! ❤️ May your weekend find you high on life, with the relief, calm, and laughter you need.

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All images are my own.

The Hot Goddess

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