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# A calming influence
- URL: https://www.redeyebr.com/a-calming-influence/
- Published: 2026-07-31T02:08:38.000Z
- Updated: 2026-07-31T02:14:40.000Z
- Description: Pennington-led study finds THC calms people with dementia
- Author: Mukul Verma
- Tags: News

People with dementia grew far calmer after taking a combination of THC and CBD, the active compounds in marijuana, according to a clinical study led by a scientist at Pennington Biomedical Research Center.

**Why it matters:** THC has been studied and approved to treat a long list of medical conditions. But among older adults with dementia, it has gone almost entirely unexplored. This study starts filling that gap.

**The details:**

- In clinical trials, a treatment combining THC and CBD significantly reduced agitation in people with late-stage Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia who were in hospice care or eligible for it. The benefits showed up within two weeks.
- Nearly 9 in 10 participants showed overall improvement in their target symptoms by the end of the 12-week study.
- The trial also proved something researchers couldn't take for granted: people with late-stage dementia can take part in rigorous clinical studies. That alone could open the door to a lot more research.

"The magnitude and speed of the reduction in agitation we observed with the THC/CBD combination were remarkable. These results address a significant unmet medical need and offer new hope for providing greater comfort and dignity to people with advanced dementia at the end of life," said Dr. Jeff Keller, Director of the Institute for Dementia Research and Prevention at Pennington Biomedical Research Center and principal investigator.

**The bottom line:** Dementia takes a painful toll, not only on those slowly losing their memories and their independence, but on the families who love and care for them through that loss. A treatment that brings a little more peace could offer relief and dignity to everyone living through the disease.

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