Thorsten Rudroff (KCRG TV Photo)
A University of Iowa professor is conducting a study on how smoking marijuana impacts older people who are already at a greater risk for falls.
Professor Thorsten Rudroff tells KCRG TV it may have to do with THC, which is the main psychoactive ingredient found in marijuana that gives a high sensation. Rudroff says THC can also hurt a person’s cognitive skills which include memory, concentration, and focus.
Rudroff says those who turn to marijuana now for relief have no guidelines.”It’s self-medicated,” Rudroff says, “they don’t know how to use medical cannabis. There are no guidelines, no recommendations out there. We want to find out what is the best and safest product.”
The university is looking for people between the ages of 50 and 80 to take part in the study. Researchers will test medical marijuana smokers against non-smokers regarding their motor functions, for example, to compare how they walk. Rudroff suggests people use more CBD products instead of smoking medical marijuana.
“We looked in one study of how CBD affects the brain, and we found some really positive results. So it is very positive that CBD has some benefits to cognition to older people,” Rudroff. The study will last about two years. Those who take the study will receive 100 dollars.
Those interested in the study can email thorsten-rudroff@uiowa.edu