Marijuana use is reportedly increasing among baby boomers.

A Feb. 22 story in the Associated Press reports that the number of people ages 50 and older reporting marijuana use in the prior year went up from 1.9 percent to 2.9 percent from 2002 to 2008. The rise was most dramatic among 55- to-59-year olds, whose reported marijuana use more than tripled from 1.5 percent in 2002 to 5.1 percent, according to surveys from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

The Associated Press article states, politically, that advocates for legalizing marijuana say the number of older users could represent an important shift in their decades-long push to change the laws.