by Kara Machowski
Some would say that marijuana is the medical drug of this century. Being that for the past century, marijuana was deemed the “mad drug” and was almost entirely illegal. There is so much research being done at the moment that it seems like the drug is a medical breakthrough. But the area in which marijuana greatly assists, is seniors.
Here’s what we know about the beginning of marijuana research: According to WebMD, around the year 2000, scientists discovered that a system in the brain reacts to 60 different chemicals in marijuana. That system is called the endocannabinoid system. It plays a role in many of the body’s serious functions such as the heart, digestive, endocrine, immune, nervous, and reproductive systems. This study sparked interest in finding specific chemicals made from marijuana that could be targeted for specific conditions and was the beginning in researching of the drug.
Lately, there has been a surge in marijuana research as the use is booming and the benefits of the miracle drug are finally being recognized. Top universities such as Harvard and MIT are jumping on board to research the health benefits of marijuana and how it even affects the industry’s current market. A $9 million donation for the study has just been announced by the two universities and their donor. The donor is Manhattan-based investor Bob Broderick, who made tens of millions of dollars by investing in the legal marijuana industry in Canada.
With recent research we’ve been able to see the amazing benefits that the once illegal drug possesses helping patients who have Alzheimer’s disease, which affects 10 percent of seniors, and aids with symptoms such as depression and anorexia. In 2014, a preclinical study was released by Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease that investigated the “potential therapeutic effects of THC” on the disease.” The researchers introduced THC to beta-amyloids, clumps of proteins that build up on the brain, which are one of the leading signs of the presence of Alzheimer’s. They concluded that THC aided in slowing the advancement of these beta-amyloids, and the results from the study “strongly suggest that THC could be a potential therapeutic treatment option for Alzheimer’s disease through multiple functions and pathways.”
Marijuana has also shown to aid as a pain reducer and anti-inflammatory for patients who suffer from joint-pain, nerve damage and chronic illnesses such as cancer. According to Harvard Health, it reduces the use of opioids in patients that suffer from these pains and even lessons the use of opioids in areas where medical marijuana is accessible. Researchers from the Dent Neurological Institute in Buffalo, N.Y, conducted a 2019 study, led by Dr. Laszlo Mechtler, that focused on chronic disease in the elderly. He discovered that over two-thirds of study participants experienced some relief from pain and one-third of them also reduced their use of opioids.
Marijuana also aids in relief of anxiety and results in reduced stress and helps with sleep. Recently, Norman Lamb, recreational marijuana activist and a Liberal Democrat MP and former health minister, conducted an on film demonstration of using cannabis oil on BBC. He says that he uses the oil for sleep and relaxation after the MP suffered a stroke back in 2018 and attributed it to long work days and no sleep. Since using the cannabis oil, which includes THC, he feels like the benefits aid him in his daily life. According the University of New Mexico, CBD also helps with those who suffer from strokes and types of epilepsy.
For seniors what does all of this mean?
Well, with the number of benefits of using marijuana and the broad spectrum that they cover, some patients who are suitable to use marijuana are lessening their cabinet’s drug supply. Seniors are having to take less and less medications that could otherwise negatively react with other medications that the patient may have to be on. Last year the Food and Drug Administration even approved a cannabidiol product called Epidiolex that treats types of epilepsy.
What’s the next step?
While we may know the benefits of marijuana and how it can greatly aid seniors, there is still a field of hurdles to jump over. According to STAT, a health related news organization, the Drug Enforcement Administration, which said it was open to approving more suppliers of marijuana for scientific research, has failed to approve the application, after two previous years of the same failure. Researchers fear that this prevents them from conducting clinical trials that would give an objective evaluation of marijuana. Marijuana remains illegal at the federal level and is considered a Schedule I substance, meaning the government views it as having a high potential for abuse and no medical benefits. For seniors, this reduces the chances of being able to legally access a drug that could greatly benefit them.
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