A new study shows that cannabis users have lower rates of severe COVID-19 infections and experience fewer serious consequences such as death or lengthy hospital stays when they get the virus.
“Cannabis users had better outcomes and mortality compared with non-users,” says the report, authored by researchers at Northwell Health in New York. “The beneficial effect of cannabis use,” it adds, “may be attributed to its immunomodulatory effects.”
The study, published in the journal Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research, looked at data from the National Inpatient Sample Database, which tracks hospital admissions. Patients admitted for a COVID diagnosis were divided into cannabis user and non-user groups, and they were also matched in an effort to account for differences in age, race, gender and other comorbidities.
“On initial analysis, cannabis users had significantly lower rates of severe COVID-19 infection, intubation, ARDS [acute respiratory distress syndrome], acute respiratory failure, severe sepsis with multiorgan failure, mortality, and shorter length of hospital stay,” the paper says. “After 1:1 matching, cannabis use was associated with lower rates of severe COVID-19 infection, intubation, ARDS, acute respiratory failure, severe sepsis with multiorgan failure, mortality, and shorter length of hospital stay.”
“Cannabis users had significantly lower rates of severe COVID-19 infection.”
Results of the current study were previewed late last year in a different form at the annual conference of The American College of Chest Physicians (CHEST) in Honolulu.
Another study, by researchers in Canada, found that “cannabinoids have been shown to prevent viral entry, mitigate oxidative stress, and alleviate the associated cytokine storm” of early COVID-19 infections and could help treat long COVID symptoms.
“Post-SARS-CoV-2 infection, cannabinoids have shown promise in treating symptoms associated with post-acute long COVID-19, including depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress injury, insomnia, pain, and decreased appetite,” it said.
That research took into account a long list of existing studies, aiming to fill the knowledge gap on how endocannabinoid system modulation might impact patients in the early- and post-infection stages. Prior studies had focused on marijuana as treatment option during the acute phase of a COVID-19 infection.
“Cannabis and cannabinoid-based drugs have shown promise in preventing viral entry, acting as an anti-inflammatory agent, and improving many symptoms associated with post-acute SARS-CoV-2 infections,” authors concluded.
A 2022 laboratory study from researchers at Oregon State University, meanwhile, found that certain cannabinoids can potentially prevent COVID-19 from entering human cells. But as doctors at UCLA have noted, that study focused on CBG-A and CBD-A under lab conditions and did not assess marijuana smoking by patients themselves.
Another scientific review published this year highlighted the potential of CBD to treat and manage the symptoms of COVID-19 along with conditions such as epilepsy, pain, cancer, schizophrenia and diabetes.
During the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, some cannabis advocates claimed with little evidence that marijuana or CBD could prevent, treat or even cure coronavirus infection—a claim many other advocates warned was premature and dangerous.
In March 2020, for example, former NFL player Kyle Turley—who said that medical marijuana changed his life and launched his own cannabis brand—was warned by the Food and Drug Administration and Federal Trade Commission over claims on social media that cannabis products would “prevent” and “cure” COVID-19.
Others used the pandemic as an argument in favor of marijuana legalization on different grounds. Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont (D), for example, said in November 2020 that legalizing marijuana in his state would prevent the spread of covid by reducing travel to New Jersey.
Separately, Marijuana Moment reported in April that the Justice Department was investigating marijuana-related businesses that allegedly took coronavirus relief loans in violation of federal rules, with third-party actors leveraging a whistleblower policy that allows them to take a portion of settlement money if they report on the cannabis companies.
Younger Patients Are Using Medical Marijuana For Anxiety, PTSD And Chronic Pain, Study Shows
A new study shows that cannabis users have lower rates of severe COVID-19 infections and experience fewer serious consequences such as death or lengthy hospital stays when they get the virus. “Cannabis users had better outcomes and mortality compared with non-users,” says the report, authored by researchers at Northwell Health in New York. “The beneficial Read More