Welcome to Senior Cannabis Digest. This week we look at a potential benefit of consuming cannabis in old age, using THC beverages to reduce alcohol consumption and treating dementia with THC and CBD. Enjoy.
Cannabis and Aging
Top takeaway: Consuming cannabis in old age may help to protect brain cells.
There may be an unexpected benefit when individuals consume cannabis later in life. Researchers at the Salk Institute have found that cannabinol (CBN) appears to protect neurons against oxidative stress, a form of biological wear and tear that leads to cell death. Oxidative stress is considered a critical factor in neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s.
That’s the word from Frank Landymore, in an article he penned for the publication Futurism, in which he commented on an article in the Washington Post.
According to the Salk researchers, CBN is derived from the cannabis plant and is molecularly similar to THC, but is not psychoactive. Previous research found that CBN had neuroprotective properties, but it wasn’t clear how it worked. This more recent study explains the mechanism through which CBN protects brain cells from damage and death.
Said senior author Pamela Maher, a research professor and head of Salk’s Cellular Neurobiology Laboratory, “We’ve found that cannabinol protects neurons from oxidative stress and cell death, two of the major contributors to Alzheimer’s. This discovery could one day lead to the development of new therapeutics for treating this disease and other neurodegenerative disorders, like Parkinson’s disease.”
Researchers also found that CBN did not activate cannabinoid receptors, which are required for cannabinoids to produce a psychoactive response. Thus, CBN therapeutics would work without causing the individual to become “high.”
In his article, Landymouth also cites the work of Carl Hart, a Columbia University psychologist, who has argued that the adult brain is more resilient to the consequences of occasional cannabis use than traditionally thought.
Said Hart, in comments he shared with the Washington Post, “Think of all the many people who take cannabis. There are some people not motivated to do jack, but that isn’t because of cannabis. And there are a wide range of people who have done incredible things in the world while on cannabis. But the notion (that cannabis use is always debilitating) just won’t die.”
To be fair, the work by the Salk research team didn’t happen yesterday. Their work was first described in an article that appeared in the journal Free Radical Biology in 2022. Still, we are pleased that Landymouth’s article, and a recent article in the Washington Post, have brought new attention to the research and its potential application.
To learn more, we urge you to read the article by Frank Landymore in the June 21, 2026 issue of Futurism.com.
futurism.com/health-medicine/research-smoke-weed-older
To read the Salk Institute’s original article on the study, click on the following link.
www.salk.edu/news-release/active-ingredient-in-cannabis-protects-aging-brain-cells/
Cannabis Beverages and Alcohol Consumption
Top takeaway: Drinking THC-infused beverages may help some people stop drinking alcohol.
There may be helpful news for those who are looking for a way to consume less alcohol or quit drinking it completely. According to a new survey, more than three out of four people who consume THC-infused cannabis beverages drink less alcohol — and more than a fifth of those say they have quit drinking alcohol entirely.
So says Tom Angell, in an article he wrote for Marijuana Moment. In his article, Angell noted that the poll was conducted by THC beverage company Crescent Canna, which surveyed its customers about their use of THC drinks.
The survey revealed that 37 percent of respondents said that since first trying the products they drink much less alcohol, 19 percent drink slightly less and 21 percent have quit alcohol altogether.
In addition, forty-four percent said that THC beverages have become part of their regular wellness routine. When asked more specifically why they like cannabis drinks, 80 percent said the products help them relax or unwind and 50 percent said they use them as a sleep aid.
A slight majority of respondents, 51 percent, said THC beverages help them to avoid the “negative effects” of alcohol, and 60 percent said there is no hangover.
Angell also makes the point that the majority of those polled (87 percent) are broadly aware of the federal recriminalization of hemp-derived THC products that is set to take effect in November, with twenty-seven percent saying they are either actively stocking up on THC drinks or buying them more often in preparation for the federal crackdown.
When asked what they would do if the ban goes into effect as planned, 67 percent of THC drink consumers said they would turn to other forms of cannabis and 23 percent would start drinking more alcohol. Just 8 percent say they would stop using THC entirely.
You can learn much more by reading Tom Angell’s excellent reporting in the July 7, 2026 issue of Marijuana Moment.net.
Cannabis News and Notes
Top takeaway: A new study suggests that a combination of THC and CBD could help treat agitation in dementia patients.
There may be hopeful news for individuals who suffer from dementia, and their caregivers. A study by researchers from the Medical University of South Carolina and Georgetown University found, in a first-of-its-kind clinical trial, that a THC and CBD formulation significantly reduced agitation among patients with late-stage dementia.
According to Noel Abbott, reporting for Ganjapreneur, the multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase II study (known as the LiBBY trial, for Life’s End Benefits of Cannabidiol and Tetrahydrocannabinol) included 120 hospice-eligible participants with Alzheimer’s disease or other types of dementia, who were experiencing agitation.
The study was designed to evaluate the effectiveness, safety and tolerability of a combination of purified tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) given orally in a rapid-acting digestible oil suspension.
Abbott notes in his article that participants in the study received either a placebo or an oral, rapid-acting oil suspension containing isolated THC and CBD. After two weeks, patients in the THC/CBD group showed a significantly greater reduction in mean agitation scores than the placebo group. Researchers said the improvement was sustained at 12 weeks.
He also reported that a secondary analysis found that 83.9 percent of patients in the THC/CBD group were rated as much less agitated after two weeks, compared to 30.5 percent in the placebo group. At 12 weeks, 87.2 percent of treatment-group participants showed improvement, compared to 23.6 percent of placebo participants.
Said Jacobo Mintzer, MD, of the Medical University of South Carolina and co-lead investigator of the study, “Rarely do we see close to 90 percent of patients in a trial respond positively to a new medication.”
Added Georgetown University’s Brigid Reynolds, the co-lead investigator, in a separate interview, “Agitation affects many people with late-stage dementia, causing symptoms such as restlessness, aggression and emotional distress that can profoundly impact patients and their caregivers. Current treatment options are limited and often carry significant side effects, underscoring the need for safer, more effective therapies.”
To learn more, we urge you to read Noel Abbott’s article in the July 16, 2026 issue of Ganjapreneur.com.
ganjapreneur.com/new-study-suggests-thc-and-cbd-could-help-treat-agitation-in-dementia-patients/
Additional information is available in the July 14, 2026 issue of Medical Xpress.com. Click on the link that follows.
medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-cannabis-derived-treatment-eases-agitation.html
Senior Cannabis Digest is compiled and edited by Joe Kohut and John Kohut. You can reach them at Joe.kohut@gmail.com. and at 347-528-8753.