POT AND ALZHEIMER’S STRANGE BEDFELLOWS

By Lee Degenstein

Medical science and medical news never cease to amaze me. If you are patient enough, what was once deemed bad for your health often times turns out to be good for your health. For example eating fish was once thought to be a detriment in that it contained high levels of mercury. Aspirin, eggs, coffee, wine and even chocolate were all once on the forbidden list. Over time the “experts” changed their minds, and in some instances they have done it a couple of times on the same product.

Now it seems that those pot smoking hippies of the 60’s and 70’s may have the last laugh. A study released this week at Ohio State University indicates that those stoners may find themselves pretty lucid in their old age.

Ohio State Medical Center’s Dr. Gary Wenk reports that his research has shown that some of the anti-inflammatory compounds found in marijuana may actually slow the memory loss often associated with Alzheimer’s disease. The research also showed that marijuana use could actually slow the progression of Alzheimer’s.

Now before you drop this article and race off to find your local pot dealer, the research has only been conducted on laboratory rats. According to Wenk a PhD, old rats were given a synthetic form of Marijuana. In laboratory tests the rats that were injected with the synthetic marijuana were able to navigate their way through a maze more easily and quickly than their pot free counterparts. Old rats, like old people tend to get lost and easily confused. It’s not known whether the rats were allowed to listen to the Rolling Stones or the Grateful Dead during the tests.

At the annual meeting of the Society of Neuroscience Wenk noted, “This is not going to cure Alzheimer’s disease, but it’s going to help a lot because by reducing inflammation we’re going to rescue some neurons – we’re going to help you not decay so fast.”

Wenk went on to say that the big job for medical science will be to come up with a compound that reduces brain inflammation without triggering a high. Wenk, whose research on this subject was funded by the Government said, “You can’t add a high onto dementia. You are going to just make the patient more impaired.”

For those wondering, Dr. Wenk is no crackpot, in fact his credentials are quite impressive. He is a Professor of Physiology and Neuroscience and Molecular Virology, Immunology and Medical Geriatrics at Ohio State University and Medical Center. He is also considered to be a leading expert on neuropsychopharmacology and has also been published numerous times.

Dr. Wenk commented, “There’s this fear that as Baby Boomers get older, there’s going to be more and more people with Alzheimer’s. It may be we’re surprised by the fact that this illicit compound used decades ago, might alter how people get diagnosed.”

The baby boomer generation has traveled in the words of Paul McCartney, “the long and winding road”. Along the way they became hippies, then yuppies (young upward professionals), and dinks (double income no kids). Now they are entering senior citizen phase of their lives. Hopefully, these golden years will be a far cry from their Acapulco golden years.

It’s interesting to note that one of the side affects of marijuana use was thought to be memory loss. Before I forget what I am writing about, it appears that medical science has once again reversed its opinion on a long held belief. I am still waiting for science to give the green light to cigarettes and red meat. Undoubtedly I have a long wait on my hands. However it must be comforting to many, that getting wasted (on pot) may not have been a complete waste after all.


© Copyright 2006, Lee Degenstein.
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