Cannabis Slows Dementia and Alzheimer's According To Medical Journal Report

Cannabis As Treatment For Vascular Dementia

Cannabis Strains for Alzheimer's Disease and Dementia from CannabisNet on Vimeo.

Fearmongers are the worst - especially those on on the anti-cannabis legalization side, as they continue to spread false information about the effects of marijuana.

Among the many negative and incorrect things being said about cannabis is that it’s bad for your brain. Even Uncle Sam wants you to think so. But then there is also an increasing body of medical and scientific evidence that cannabis is actually beneficial for the brain; so much so that it can be used to treat a range of neurodegenerative disorders.

One of the latest in cannabis research shows that the plant has the potential to treat vascular dementia. The study, published in the Current Neurovascular Research journal, discovered that the natural ability of cannabis to activate the CB2 receptors may hold the key to treating vascular dementia.

According to the researchers, “Vascular dementia is the highly devastating neurodegenerative disorder after Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and mainly found in aged people but the effectual therapeutic target is still not there.” They also add, “Chronic cerebral hypoperfusion (CCH) has been broadly found in vascular dementia (VaD) patients.” CCH is thought to “link with neurodegenerative disorders and their subsequent cognitive deteriorate on.”

Cannabis Also Effective In Treatment Of Dementia

Just last month, another study was published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease which found that giving a patient both CBD and THC from marijuana has been successful in treating early stage dementia.

Clearly, with this much scientific evidence, it should be more than enough to help push for marijuana reform.

The study revealed that cannabis isn’t just useful for early stage dementia, it can also be useful even for advanced stages. The study extract states: “Previous reports have demonstrated that the combination of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) botanical extracts, which are the components of an already approved cannabis-based medicine, reduce the Alzheimer-like phenotype of AβPP/PS1 transgenic mice when chronically administered during the early symptomatic stage.”

The study also adds “Here, we provide evidence that such natural cannabinoids are still effective in reducing memory impairment in AβPP/PS1 mice at advanced stages of the disease”.

Cannabis Can Remove Plaque In The Brain

Another recent study featured on CNN in June this year also discussed the potential benefits of marijuana in treating Alzheimer’s. The study analyzed how THC was able to remove plaque buildup in the brain.The researchers also discovered that cannabis prevents inflammation, which is a culprit for damaging neurons in the brain.

According to David Schubert, a professor and senior researcher at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, “It is reasonable to conclude that there is a therapeutic potential of cannabinoids for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease.”

Side Effects Of Prescription Medications

To address the drastic behavioral changes that can occur as a result of Alzheimer’s or dementia, patients are typically prescribed many kinds of medications. Antipsychotic and antidepressants are among the most common.

Antipsychotic medications, while they can help give better quality sleep, can have severe side effects such as the possibility of making some of the symptoms worse, difficulty thinking clearly, apathy, and withdrawal from loved ones. Similarly, antidepressants aren’t any better (but we already knew that); antidepressants such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors are known to cause suicidal tendencies, increased heartbeat, seizures, and nausea. I don’t know about you, but I definitely don’t want my parents or grandparents to be exposed to such risks when we already have a medicinal plant that can do so much for the brain!

According to the Alzheimer’s Association, more than 5 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s today. With my own mother already manifesting the early signs of it, it’s difficult for me to imagine how much more challenging the condition can be not just for patients but families of those who are diagnosed with this debilitating disease. The symptoms of dementia can be just as painful for the children and loved ones of the elderly who suffer from it: memory loss, faulty reasoning, inappropriate (sometimes childlike behavior), inability to communicate properly, motor skill problems, and many more. Access to medical marijuana can improve the lives of all families involved.