Cannabis may help Alzheimer's patients

JERUSALEM, March 15 (UPI) -- An Israeli study suggests medicines derived from cannabis may someday provide benefits for patients with Alzheimer's disease.

The research, conducted by Raphael Mechoulam of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, was presented Monday in Britain at the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain.

Mechoulam said early results of the research indicate memory loss can be slowed down significantly in mice by some of the chemicals present in cannabis. The Royal Pharmaceutical Society said the next step will be to initiate human trials to see if the same effect can be achieved on the human brain.