PECULIARITIES OF POT MAY BE THE ANSWER TO SLOWING ALZHEIMER'S

THC, the active component in marijuana, may protect the brain from
the ravages of Alzheimer's disease, U.S. scientists reported.

In lab experiments, investigators from Scripps Research Institute in
La Jolla, Calif., found THC appears to block an enzyme in the brain
that causes plaques to form better than currently approved drugs.

Alzheimer's is the leading cause of dementia among the elderly. An
estimated 290,000 Canadians over 65 have the disease -- a number
expected to double over the next two decades. Women account for more
than two-thirds of cases, according to the Alzheimer Society of
Canada. The progressive, degenerative brain disease has no cure.

"I'm not at all suggesting you smoke pot," said Kim Janda, a
professor of chemistry and immunology at Scripps, who is working on
developing vaccines against cocaine, nicotine and other drugs of abuse.

But his team's work may provide a lead for new and more effective
medications, he said.

"I think it could have strong implications that molecules like THC
could prevent fibrils or plaque formation."

It's the latest study to suggest the compound that produces a high
might also be protective to the brain. Marijuana-like compounds are
already being tested in mice against the fatal brain disease ALS, or
Lou Gehrig's disease.

People with Alzheimer's have low levels of acetylcholine, a brain
chemical believed to be important for learning and memory.

Existing drugs help ease symptoms of the disease by blocking an
enzyme that breaks down acetylcholine.