Marijuana has been used therapeutically for millennia. Countless studies have tested the plant’s ability to ease both physical and mental conditions, and it’s been used and endorsed by many in the process. The majority of states have legalized medical cannabis, and some politicians are attempting to do the same for psychedelics like psilocybin. The University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) is attempting to lead the charge on a new health-based use for cannabis: lessening dementia-related agitation at the end of life.
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Dementia is a devastating syndrome that affects over 57 million people and is the seventh leading cause of death among older people globally. It is a term that encapsulates several progressive diseases that affect memory, thinking, and cognitive abilities.
It also greatly affects the overall psyche, causing personality changes, increasing anxiety and sadness, and worsening confusion as the disease progresses. According to the UMSOM Palliative Medicine Program, medications like morphine, valium, and Holdol are typically used to manage agitation in hospice-eligible dementia patients, but they are often ineffective or make symptoms worse.
The study that UMSOM is conducting will focus on an investigational oral drug called T2:C100—it contains both THC and CBD. Participants will be assigned either the drug or a placebo in a double-blind process (meaning neither participants nor clinicians know which they were given) and will take it for 12 weeks.
“This study is important because there are no FDA-approved medications to manage agitation at the end of life in dementia. More than half of people with dementia will receive hospice care, and 70 percent of them are given psychotropic medications to manage agitation–often with limited benefit and problematic side effects,” said Raya Kheirback, MD, Principal Investigator and Division Chief of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine at UMSOM and the University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC) in the study’s press release.
This study will be conducted at 12 other sites across the country. Families interested in participating can either contact UMSOM or visit the LIBBY website to find other trial locations.
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People love marijuana for a plethora of reasons, and if this study is successful, the quality of life for an entirely new population could potentially be improved by the plant. Dementia is one of the most destructive conditions in the world, and this study may change millions of lives.