Can a Pill Replace Pot for Treating Concussions?
Researchers may have found a less-contentious way to deal with the NFL’s concussion epidemic than marijuana.
Now, a team of researchers at the University of Miami may be on to a less contentious solution—a treatment with the medicinal benefits of marijuana but none of the psychoactive kick.
The researchers recently began a five-year study aimed at creating a pill that athletes could take after a concussion to avert brain damage. They plan to develop this pill using cannabidiol and dexanabinol. Cannabidiol, also known as CBD, is one of the-113 plus chemical compounds found in cannabis known as cannabinoids. Dexanabinol is a synthetic cannabinoid. Current evidence suggests these two particular cannabinoids have the capability to disrupt the series of chemical reactions that follow a concussion and lead to brain-cell death. CBD activates receptors that trigger a cellular repair mechanism in the brain, while dexanabinol prevents calcium from accumulating in the cells and draining their energy.