Can Cannabis Prevent or Reverse Alzheimer's Disease?

Alzheimer’s rate of occurrence has increased exponentially over the past few decades and has positioned itself near the elite disease killers of heart disease and cancer. There is strong evidence than marijuana may prevent or reverse this disease.

Earlier “testing” had maintained that serious memory loss occurs from using cannabis. Those tests may have been heavily influenced by the DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration) and earlier Presidential administrations with the “Just say no to drugs” mantra. Big Pharma has also played a role; marijuana is a plant, not a drug. Pharmaceuticals are drugs.

Independent testing since marijuana has been established as medicinally effective and safe have concluded that long-term marijuana users do have their memory intact, and that it is even effective for restoring memory loss due to brain disease damage, such as Alzheimer’s.

A 2013 animal study (mice) in Spain concluded, “The present study lends support to the idea that stimulation of CB2 (Cannabinoid) receptors ameliorates several altered parameters in Alzheimer’s disease such as impaired memory and learning, neuroinflammation, oxidative stress damage and oxidative stress responses, selected tau kinases, and tau hyperphosphorrylation around plaques.”

Researchers at Florida’s Roskamp Institute came up with the most advanced understanding of Alzheimer’s mechanics and how cannabis demonstrates efficacy without toxic side effects.

Their study was preceded by similar research on cannabis efficacy for Alzheimer’s by Neuroscience Research Australia and Ohio State University.

Gary Wenk, PhD, professor of neuroscience, immunology and medical genetics at Ohio State University, told Time, “I’ve been trying to find a drug that will reduce brain inflammation and restore cognitive function in rats for over 35 years; cannabinoids are the first and only class of drugs that have ever been effective.”

Knowing what we know about human trial subjects and side efffects, including death, from pharmaceutical attempts or using off label drugs to treat Alzheimer’s, why are we not using marijuana to treat this critical disease? Cannabis is appearing in study after study to be a potential, safe alterative to such therapies and the body of research continues to grow.

Read more about marijuana and cannabis in AllBud’s ailments section and find the strains that might make a difference for you.