Parkinson’s disease is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system mainly affecting the motor system. Symptoms are movement-related such as shaking, rigidity, slowness of movement and difficulty with walking and gait.
Recent years have brought a wealth of new scientific understanding regarding how medical marijuana or cannabis can be beneficial for treating Parkinson’s Disease.
Thinking and behavioral problems may arise, with dementia commonly occurring in the advanced stages of the disease, and depression being the most common psychiatric symptom.
The disease progresses more quickly in older patients, and may lead to severe incapacity within 10 – 20 years. Older patients also tend to have muscle freezing and greater declines in mental function and daily functioning than younger people.
Clinical Information Related to Parkinson’s Disease and Marijuana Cannabis
- Cannabis treatment for motor and non-motor symptoms of Parkinson disease: an open-label observational study
- Cannabis for dyskinesia in Parkinson disease
- Survey on cannabis use in Parkinson’s disease: Subjective improvement of motor symptoms
- The therapeutic potential of cannabis
- Cannabis in Movement Disorders
- Endocannabinoids in basal ganglia circuits
- Evaluation of the neuroprotective effect of cannabinoids in a rat model of Parkinson’s disease: importance of antioxidant and cannabinoid receptor-independent properties