Medical Marijuana a Hoax? Doesn't Treat Dementia Symptoms Effectively

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A new study has shown that oral medical marijuana falls short of its expectations when it comes to managing the symptoms of dementia.

Oral marijuana pills containing tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) may not help manage the more difficult symptoms of dementia including aggression, pacing, and wandering among geriatric patients, according toTech Times.

In the study published in the journal Neurology, 50 patients diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, mixed dementia, and stroke-triggered dementia were either given three daily 4.5-mg THC pills or placebo pills at the hours of 9 a.m., 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. daily for three weeks.

"Our study results are valuable since any firm evidence of the effectiveness and safety of medical marijuana in this disease area is scarce," said Geke A.H. van den Elsen of Netherland's Radboud University Medical Center in a press release. "Ours is the largest study carried out so far on evaluating this drug for behavioral symptoms of dementia."

The medical cannabis used was provided by the Dutch company, Echo Pharmaceuticals and the study was supported by the European Regional Development Fund and the Province of Gelderland.

The results of the patients show that both oral medical marijuana and placebo groups improved. However, there were no notable differences between the scores of both groups. All patients had more or less similar mild to moderate side effects and in the group who received THC, it was well-tolerated. At low doses, according to the LA Times, THC caused positive side effects making it so that clinical trials of the medication at higher doses prompted further research.

"Since the side effects were mild to moderate, it's possible that a higher dose could be tolerated and could possibly be beneficial," van den Elsen said in the press release. "Future studies are needed to test this. A drug that can treat the behavioral symptoms of dementia is much needed, as about 62 percent of dementia patients in the general community and up to 80 percent of nursing home residents experience these symptoms."

This research does not necessarily mean that THC in medical marijuana is entirely useless for dementia patients. According to Healthline, scientific studies regarding medical marijuana's effects on dementia is lacking and limited. However, the moving forward of the clinical trials for higher dosage of THC may supplement the current findings.

According to a review commissioned by the Department of Health in 1996 and published in the British Journal of Psychiatry, cannabis and cannabinoids are beneficial for people with conditions such as certain cancers, AIDS, and selected neurological conditions.