A professor at the University of Iowa wants to know what the chances of falling are for older people who smoke medical marijuana.
Professor Thorsten Rudroff tells KCRG-TV 9 it may have to do with THC, which is the main psychoactive ingredient found in marijuana that gives a high sensation.
Rudroff believes THC can also hurt a person's cognitive skills which include memory, concentration and focus.
So they want to see the effects of medical marijuana on older adults who already have a greater risk of falling. According to the National Council on Aging, every 11 seconds an older adult is treated in the emergency room for a fall and an older person dies every 19 minutes from falling.
The university wants people between 50 and 80 years old to take part in the two year study. Researchers will test medical marijuana smokers against non-smokers regarding their motor functions to compare how they walk.
Rudroff tells WHO TV-13 people don't know how to use medical marijuana. "It's self-medicated,” said Rudroff. “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”
He suggests people use more CBD products instead of smoking medical marijuana. "We looked in one study 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."
Anyone who takes part in the study will receive $100. If you or someone you know is interested you can click on the link.
https://sites.google.com/view/integrative-neurophysiology-la/contact-us.