If you’re an older adult living in Iowa, and you like marijuana, you may have just lucked out.
A University of Iowa professor is looking for participants to conduct a study, that will look at the effects of medical marijuana on older adults who have a greater risk of falling down.
According to Professor Thorsten Rudroff, falling down may have to do with THC, which is the main psychoactive ingredient found in marijuana.
Rudroff says THC can also hurt a person’s cognitive skills which include memory, concentration and focus.
The university is looking for people between the ages of 50 and 80 for the study. Researchers will test medical marijuana smokers against non-smokers regarding their motor functions.
According to Rudroff, people don’t know how to use medical marijuana. “It’s self-medicated,” said the professor. “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”
Dr. Rudroff 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.”
The study will last about 2 years. Those who take the study will receive $100.