Medical marijuana, or cannabis, is one of the most popular topics among the Parkinson’s disease (PD) community ― for people with PD, health professionals and researchers, alike. Earlier this year, the Parkinson’s Foundation hosted its first-ever convening on marijuana and Parkinson’s.

Marijuana and Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a hot topic. Watch our newest video, Neuro Talks, where James Beck, PhD, Parkinson’s Foundation Chief Scientific Officer, explains what the PD community should know about marijuana.

People with Parkinson’s disease (PD) and their physicians are both looking to answer whether medical marijuana can help manage Parkinson’s symptoms. Researchers have barely scratched the surface when it comes to marijuana and PD and previous studies are inconclusive about its potential benefits, but many people with Parkinson’s are curious to try it. Here’s what you need to know.

With medical marijuana legalized in 28 states and Washington, D.C., its therapeutic properties have become buzzworthy. Researchers are currently studying these properties and how they affect different diseases, like Parkinson’s disease (PD). But why?

Ifeanyi Enoch Onuoha said, “every challenge you encounter in life is a fork in the road. You have the choice to choose which way to go: backward, forward, breakdown or breakthrough.” Since the publication of Parkinson’s Treatment 10 Secrets to a Happier Life with Parkinson’s Disease, the most common question we have received from patients is what are and what will be the next breakthrough therapies for Parkinson’s disease. A breakthrough is defined as a sudden increase in knowledge, improvement in technique, or fundamental advancement in understanding.

There has been a recent and evolving media blitz concerning the potential use of medical marijuana (tetrahydrocannabinol, THC) among the Parkinson’s disease (PD) community. All of the attention to marijuana has been largely a result of multiple states passing legislation to legalize and to regulate the drug, or to alternatively make it available for select medical diagnoses. In this month’s What’s Hot in PD? column, I will review the current state of the research into medical marijuana for Parkinson’s disease.