CANNAHEALTH Cannabis 101: Patient & Caregiver | Page 49

Seniors and Medical Marijuana:

what we know and what we don’t

et’s assume for a moment that there are no legal restrictions on marijuana use. What benefits could our elderly population expect from this ancient herb? We don’t really know. With an increasing number of states legalizing marijuana for medical and recreational use, there are mounting claims of its potential as a pharmaceutical agent. There are lots of anecdotal testimonials but not a lot of hard data. With the growing senior population and the medical issues they face, it is time to look at what marijuana might provide. So what do we know about the effects of medical marijuana or cannabis and its chemical components when used by older adults?

Marijuana or cannabis has been used for thousands of years to treat or alleviate

disease symptoms. Its medical

use today is controversial due to its outdated Schedule 1 drug classification, potential addictive properties, unknown long term effects, and current dispensing methods. While medical marijuana has been shown to be effective as an appetite stimulant, some medical professionals are wary of using it as a treatment method.

knowledge

The general population is living longer resulting in an alarming increase in confirmed cases of Alzheimer’s and other dementias. Every sixty-five seconds another case of Alzheimer‘s dementia is diagnosed. The number of cases is expected to triple over the next fifty years. Alzheimer’s disease is not a normal part of aging. Changes in our brain occur starting in our twenties. Though we typically hear about the disease occurring more often in older people, a small number of those affected by early-onset Alzheimer's may show symptoms as early as their 30s and 40s. The development of treatments that slow or halt the disease progression has become critical to both improve the quality of life for patients and reduce the health care costs attributable to Alzheimer's disease.

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