POT COULD FEND OFF ALZHEIMER'S

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

Investigators from Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, Calif.,
found THC appears to block an enzyme that causes plaques to form.

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. The disease has no cure.

"I'm not at all suggesting you smoke pot," said immunologist Kim
Janda. But his team's work may provide a lead for new and more
effective medications, he said.