New Mexico’s Drug Policy Alliance organization is petitioning to the state trying to get Alzheimer’s disease and dementia added to the list of qualifying conditions for medical marijuana.
VIDEO: Medical Marijuana considered for Alzheimer’s and Dementia
There are currently 16 conditions on the list including anorexia, Crohn’s disease, cancer and more. If individuals meet certain and strict specifications, they can meet with a doctor and potentially be prescribed cannabis.
Jessica Gelay, a representative for the Drug Policy Alliance, told Action 7 News that because Alzheimer’s is a neuro-degenerative disease, it should be included. She said cannabis could help calm the person when they’re confused, ease their chronic pain and help them eat. Appetite loss or forgetting to eat is often a symptom or issue with Alzheimer’s.
Gelay went on to explain the science behind Alzheimer’s and how else cannabis could help. From all of the international studies she has read, she said there is a sort of plaque that starts to build up in the brain and that medical marijuana could help slow the plaque from forming.
It’s because of the recent studies that have been released that the alliance is petitioning and trying to get the conditions approved now.
“As baby boomers age, too, this is really the major push for older people using this medicine. These are people who are really comfortable with the medicine and may have used it in their youth,” Gelay said. “They aren’t afraid of it, of smoking a little bit and becoming addicted to it or becoming zombie-like.”
Yet, the Alzheimer’s Association isn’t so sure.
Jamie Frye, a representative for the association, said both the national and local chapters agree that there isn’t enough research to take one side or the other. While medical marijuana is approved for people with Alzheimer’s and dementia in other states, the association is so far recommending that patients consult with their personal physician and caregivers and decide based on their personal situations.
KOAT’s medical expert, Doctor Barry Ramo, said he thinks people who have the disease should not use medical marijuana as it poses “great potential risk.” He said there is no substantial data proving there are any benefits. He said it could be very dangerous because of the effects cannabis has on the body’s central nervous system.
The petition is currently sitting on New Mexico’s health secretary’s desk. She would have to be the one to approve the measure, but there is no deadline for her to do so. The alliance is hoping that Alzheimer’s would be added to the list by summer 2014.
If passed, Gelay said it would be up to the patient and their caregiver to decide what kind of cannabis to use, how it is administered and how much.
Medical marijuana considered to treat Alzheimer's
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