THC, the psychoactive substance in marijuana, is being used to help reduce agitation and increase weight in people suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.
Chemically synthesised THC, called dronabinol, is the only cannabinoid approved by the US Food and Drug Administration. It has been used to control nausea in patients undergoing chemotherapy and to stimulate the appetite of people with AIDS.
Joshua Shua-Haim of the Meridian Institute for Aging in Neptune, New Jersey, gave 48 patients who had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease 10 to 20 milligrams of dronabinol a day. After a month, two-thirds of them were judged to be less…
