Study suggests cannabis users are less affected by Covid

A new study published in the Journal of Cannabis Research revealed that a small sample of cannabis users had less severe cases of Covid-19 during their hospital stay than non-users. Cannabis users had better outcomes, including less need for ICU admission or mechanical ventilation. The study was very limited, however, and prospective and observational studies are still needed to draw more robust conclusions.

A previous study revealed that cannabinoids CBGA and CBDA block Covid entrance in cells. «These cannabinoids, isolated or in hemp extracts, have the potential to prevent as well as treat SARS-CoV-2 infection,» the researchers said.

The present study involved two hospitals in the Los Angeles, California area. Of the 1,831 Covid patients in the study, 69 patients reported active cannabis use, representing only 4 % of all patients.

«The link between cannabis use and better Covid results is significant,» say the authors of the study. The authors also admit that their study was very limited and that the conclusions drawn are only suggestions.

The authors' methodology was based on a retrospective analysis of patient data, which included comparison of Covid-19 severity scores, need for supplemental oxygen, ICU admission, mechanical ventilation, length of hospital stay and in-hospital death for cannabis users and non-users.

«Cannabis users had significantly better outcomes than non-users [...], shorter hospitalization (4 days vs. 6 days), lower ICU admission rates (12 % vs. 31 %) and less need for mechanical ventilation (6 % vs. 17 %). The ICU admission rate was 12 percentage points lower and the intubation rate was 6 percentage points lower in cannabis users,» says the study.

The study suggests that chronic cannabis use may have positive effects on Covid-19 outcomes in hospitalized patients. The authors hypothesize that better results may be due to the medicinal properties, including anti-inflammatory effects, of certain cannabinoids.

«Cannabis users were more likely to have lower levels of inflammatory markers on admission than non-users. This effect was maintained during their hospital stay, with cannabis users continuing to have lower inflammatory markers than non-users,» says the study.

The study did not differentiate between methods of consumption. «Given the diverse ways in which cannabis can be introduced into the body, our pooling of inhaled and ingested cannabis should introduce little variability into an already highly variable cohort of cannabis users. Grouping all cannabis users, regardless of method of administration, gives our study greater power of analysis while minimizing the risk of over-adjusted data.»

This isn't the first study to look at cannabinoids and Covid, although it claims to be the first to examine data from real Covid patients who were admitted to hospital.

According to a study carried out in 2021 cannabinoids help reduce «inflammatory storms» in a model of skin tissue. These inflammatory storms can occur in severe cases of Covid-19. Adding cannabis extracts to the treatment «curbs inflammation and prevents fibrosis, and leads to remission of the disease.» This study, This Canadian study examined THC and CBD and their combined effect, which is found to be most effective when cannabinoids work together.

«When it comes to specific chemicals, our analysis shows that CBD or THC alone do not have the same effect,» said study author Dr. Igor Kovalchuck. «We firmly believe in the full spectrum entourage-based effects. It is likely that secondary (minor) cannabinoids and terpenes contribute to this, and we write in the article that one of these terpenes could be caryophyllene.»