Psychiatrist Cesar Parga Rodrigues Passes Away
After learning about the benefits of medicinal cannabis through family use, the psychiatrist began prescribing it to his patients. He quickly became a reference on the subject in the city of Rio de Janeiro.
Charles Vilela
Psychiatrist Cesar Augusto Parga Rodrigues, 82 years old, passed away early this morning (16) in Rio de Janeiro, falling victim to Covid. After contracting the coronavirus, he was hospitalized for over two months, having been intubated. "He was one of the most excited, enthusiastic, and disruptive against prejudice (regarding the medicinal use of cannabis)," recalls psychiatrist Wilson Lessa, professor at the UFRR Medical School (Federal University of Roraima) and columnist for Sechat. "I met him at an event in Rio de Janeiro in early 2019, then we met personally two or three more times at cannabis events."
Rodrigues showed signs of recovery, but complications worsened the case, including the need for hemodialysis.
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After learning about the benefits of medicinal cannabis through family use, the psychiatrist began prescribing it to his patients. Very quickly, he became a reference in the city, recognized in the medical community among prescribers. He was a contemporary of psychiatrist Nise da Silveira (1905-1999), a pioneer in occupational therapy, introduced at the Pedro II Psychiatric Center in Rio de Janeiro.
In recent years, he closely followed the work of Apepi (Association for Support of Research and Patients of Medicinal Cannabis). "He found us at a public event in Candelária and from there got to know our work and activism, which reignited a light in his life through working with cannabis," recalls the founder of the organization, Margarete Brito. "He helped a lot of people, he helped those in need without charging anything."
In an interview with Folha de S. Paulo newspaper published in October 2019, the psychiatrist spoke about the ability of cannabinoids to improve the quality of life for the elderly. "I prescribe it for those with illness and those without, but who complain of sadness, boredom. It greatly improves quality of life, harmonizes the person as a whole," he said at the time, citing successful cases in the treatment of Parkinson's and Alzheimer's. "There is a clear improvement in tremors. In dementia, the patient becomes less agitated, more at peace, and reengages in family life."
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In a statement posted on social media, grandson Pedro Alexandrino Martins mourns the passing of his grandfather. "He was a really cool guy, a musician, an excellent swimmer: he swam across Copacabana beach like no one else," he said. "He was one of the pioneers in cannabis treatments in Brazil." According to Margarete, he was very excited about the possibility of also treating healthy people with marijuana. "He was intelligent, profound, he was ahead of his time," Margarete recalls.