The Leaf THE LEAF November-December 2019 | Page 18

David Nutt, the former government drugs
adviser and professor of
neuropsychopharmacology
at
Imperial
College London, said he was not surprised at
the potential for THC to improve memory in
old age.
“The key question now is does the same apply
to humans?
Clearly this needs to be tested, but it will not
be possible in the UK due to the ridiculous
restrictions on cannabis research occasioned
by its being a schedule 1 drug.”
Michael Bloomfield, a clinical lecturer in
psychiatry at University College London said:
“What is particularly exciting about this
research is that it opens up a whole new
chemical system, the endocannabinoid
system, as a potential target for new avenues
of research, which could include illnesses like
dementia.
“However, we are still in very early days and
further research is needed,” he said. THC
produces complicated and sometimes
apparently opposite effects depending on the
dose, the age of the person taking it, and how
often the drug is administered, he warned.
“This means that the possibility of doctors
potentially prescribing cannabis, THC or
similar compounds for memory problems in
older people is still a long way off,” he added.
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2017/may/08/
daily-dose-of-cannabis-extract-could-reverse-
brains-decline-in-old-age-study-suggests-
thc?fbclid=IwAR3P5d7iUmr9xAOjgmNQPRsmjnUh
-xB0rjoSeST_sA1Icc8MsguabGA_LTM