Exclusive | Meet NYC’s weed-loving over-60s — as seniors are using marijuana more than ever

Not to be blunt, but Gail Zanchelli hated marijuana as a teen growing up on Long Island.

“Tried it, never liked it,” Zanchelli, 64, told The Post.

Now it’s part of her nightly routine. The Deer Park resident takes 60 milligrams of gummies infused with THC — the main active ingredient in marijuana — before bed to relieve chronic throbbing in her tailbone.

She’s part of a budding group of seniors who use cannabis to relax, ease pain, sleep better or manage their mental health.

The growing interest in weed products follows the widespread decriminalization of marijuana, which has helped to elevate public opinion of the herb.

About 8% of seniors 65 and older copped to marijuana use in the past year, per a 2022 federal survey — much higher than the 0.4% reported in 2007.

Cannabis is now perceived as “safer” than alcohol or other drugs despite experts warning of the potential for cardiovascular issues and respiratory problems.

A new study out of Canada — released just in time for 4/20 — found that pot-related medical visits increased nearly 27-fold among adults 65 and older between 2008 and 2021.

Ganja fans needing hospital-based care were at a much higher risk of developing dementia, the researchers determined.

“Regular cannabis use might directly increase the risk of dementia through changes in brain structure,” said study co-author Colleen Webber, a scientist at the Bruyère Health Research Institute in Ottawa.

“It’s also possible that regular cannabis use increases the risk of other established risk factors for dementia, including high blood pressure, head trauma and other injuries, and a higher risk for depression and social isolation.”

Dr. Ken Weinberg, chief medical officer of Cannabis Doctors of New York, said more research is needed to fully understand the long-term effects of marijuana.

“The biggest problem is that ever since it was made a Schedule 1 narcotic [in 1970], it has made it very difficult to do really well-devised, double-blind, placebo-controlled studies,” Weinberg, 76, told The Post. “I don’t think there’s enough data.”

Weinberg — himself an “intermittent consumer” for sleep, neuropathy and spiritual and creative reasons — said cannabis has been “very helpful” for his Manhattan and Staten Island patients suffering behavioral and psychiatric symptoms of dementia. He’s even seen behavioral and cognitive improvement in kids with autism.

Bronx resident Michael “PoppaDukes” Serrano, 61, has been smoking pot pretty consistently since the age of 13 because it helps keep his hyperactivity from ADHD at bay.

He said he hasn’t experienced any health downsides to his reefer habit and actually credits it with keeping COVID-19 away, a notion that’s being explored by scientists.

He’s watched with glee as the stigma surrounding smoking subsides.

“It’s amazing to see people my age out there enjoying their medicine — they’re relaxed, they’re chill,” said Serrano, host of “The OG Social Network Podcast,” which fosters dialogue within the New York cannabis community. “People my age are like kids in a candy store.”

Indeed, seniors represent a high percentage of the business at NYC dispensaries.

Bliss + Lex on Manhattan’s Upper East Side told The Post it’s served more than 800 customers over 65 since March 1 — the oldest is 93.

Most seniors want to relax, sleep better, increase their appetite or relieve pain. “They aren’t interested in the fluff, they want to get high,” owner Nicole Lucien said with a laugh.

Angelo Kitkas, president of Flower Power Dispensers on the Upper West Side, said 60% of his customers are over 60. Up to 10% are over 90.

“Majority of them come in and have been smoking since their teens and college days — they are well-educated and know what they want,” Kitkas told The Post.

“The educated lean towards the flower and pre-rolls,” he continued, referring to buds and joints. “The cannacurious customers … are more [into] edibles and vapes as [they are] usually concerned about the smell.”

The Flowery Upper West Side regulars “love to note that they’ve been smoking ‘since before our moms were born,’” owner Moe Ashor said.

“From what we’ve seen, many of our older customers had a long pause in their cannabis use — often stepping away from it in their 30s or 40s,” he added. “A lot of them are now returning to it, drawn by how much more socially accepted it’s become and the wide range of discreet consumption options available today, like vapes and edibles.”

After the disastrous foray in her teens, Zanchelli returned to marijuana about three years ago, this time armed with a medical marijuana card and advice from her pain management doctor.

Getting shots in her back, using anti-inflammatories and popping several Advils a day didn’t help, but gummies just before bedtime hit the spot.

“When I wake up, I’m fine,” Zanchelli shared. “It’s like the high is gone, and then the pain is gone.”

She’s glad she can still get up at night to care for her parents and younger sister, who share her Long Island home. She hasn’t noticed any negative effects besides some dry mouth — and she’s unbothered by research raising health concerns.

“I have not thought about my long-term use of it, I really haven’t,” Zanchelli confessed.

“I gotta do what I gotta do.”