PARKINSON'S DISEASE AND POT

Nearly half of Parkinson's Disease (PD) patients who have tried marijuana
have experienced therapeutic relief from it, according to the results of a
survey presented this week at the Movement Disorders Society's Seventh
International Congress of Parkinson's and Movement Disorders in Prague.

According to the study's findings, among those patients using marijuana, 46
percent said pot provided symptomatic relief. Forty five percent said that
marijuana relieved symptoms of bradykinesia (slowness of movement), 38
percent said pot relieved muscle rigidity, and 31 percent reported that it
relieved their tremors.

The survey's author, neurologist Evzin Ruzicka of Charles University in
Prague, said that patients were more likely to report therapeutic benefits
from cannabis the longer they used it, and speculated that it was unlikely
respondents were experiencing a placebo effect. Among the total number of
respondents to the survey, 25 percent reported having used marijuana.

Although few human trials have been conducted on the use of marijuana to
treat symptoms of PD, a 1999 review by the U.S. National Academy of Sciences
Institute of Medicine (IOM) concluded, "The abundance of [cannabinoid]
receptors in the basal ganglia and reports of animal studies showing the
involvement of cannabinoids in the control of movement suggest that
[cannabis] might be useful in treating movement disorders" such as
Parkinsons Disease in humans.

For more information, please contact Paul Armentano, NORML Director of
Publications and Research, at (202) 483-5500.