The hippy generation might just be on their way back into their own zone. A 2006 article titled “A Molecular Link Between the Active Component of Marijuana and Alzheimer’s Disease Pathology,” is being distributed hailed in California as a battle cry from old hippies. The cause celebre’ brings tears to the eyes of an aging generation who always maintained that “weed” was more of a wholesome past time than a horrific addiction deplored by their parents.
The conscientious objectors of an age gone awry always insisted that marijuana should be legalized. This article promising a positive outcome from smoking “weed” may be just what old hippies need to stage a revived “smoke-in” at the State Capitol. From the date that the scientist at Scripps Institute published their findings online in August 2006, the legalize marijuana proponents have been busy distributing this pro-marijuana material.
The original members of the Hippie generation are now approaching the age when Alzheimer’s disease may become a threat. The odds of developing Alzheimer’s disease doubles every five years over age 65. By the age of 85, the odds of developing the disease are 1 in 2.
For the hippie generation to discover that their former nefarious activities may prove beneficial for this dreaded disease is one of those turn-about ironies of life. The study found that “The active ingredient in marijuana, tetrahydrocannabinol or THC, inhibits the formation of amyloid plaque, the primary pathological marker for Alzheimer’s disease.”
It is not a far fetched theory since marijuana is used for other medicinal purposes. Marijuana is used for as a therapy for specific diseases like cancer, aids and glaucoma. However, before aging hippies flock to their doctor in droves requesting a prescription, the results of the findings will go through many stages of research.
The Scripp scientist who did the research were quick in offering a formal comment on their findings. “We’re not advocating smoking dope, but if we can make analogues of THC, it could play a role in treating Alzheimer’s,” said researcher Kim Janda, a chemist at Scripps. “It would be nice to do more animal studies along these lines.”
“An analogue of THC would be a derivative of a parent chemical compound that differs from the original by a single element.”
THC is the active ingredient in marijuana that has the positive effect on human brain tissues. It seems that in a laboratory experiments on rats, the THC reduced inflammation and prevented mental decline.
But the flip side of this debate emphasizes a contradictory medical fact that long-term, consistent use of marijuana can impair memory, impair a person’s ability to focus and make decisions. One popular “Just Say No” television commercial shows the stunted growth of a young man smoking marijuana in his parent’s basement.
The debate surrounding the merits of marijuana use is another of the ironies of life. The same chemical compound in marijuana that reduces cognitive abilities like memory or the ability to focus in the young enhances those same abilities in those individuals who are victims of an age related disease like Alzheimer’s.