People who use cannabis had lower rates of severe Covid-19 infections and were less likely to experience serious outcomes such as intubation or death, according to the results of newly published research. The study, which was conducted by researchers at Northwell Health in New York, was published online last week by the peer-reviewed journal Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research.
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“Cannabis users had better outcomes and mortality compared with non-users,” the authors of the study wrote. “The beneficial effect of cannabis use may be attributed to its immunomodulatory effects.”
A researcher with a microscope studies a cannabis leaf.
To conduct the study, researchers analyzed hospital admissions data from the National Inpatient Sample Database. Patients who were admitted with a diagnosis of Covid-19 were separated into two groups of cannabis users and non-users. Patients were also matched to adjust for factors including comorbidities, age, gender and race. The research determined that cannabis users had a lower risk of death and other serious outcomes such as lung failure or the need to be put on a ventilator.
“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 authors of the study wrote, cannabis news source Marijuana Moment reported on Wednesday. “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.”
The data showed that 28.2% of cannabis users experienced a serious Covid-19 infection, compared with 46.6% of non-users. The mortality rate for cannabis users was 5.1% in non-cannabis users vs. 2.8% in cannabis users, while intubation rates were 9.7% in non-cannabis users and 7.1% in cannabis users. Cannabis users also had a slightly shorter hospital stay of 6.4 days compared to 7.0 days for non-users.
Cannabis And Inflammation
Benjamin Caplan, M.D., a medical marijuana specialist and the author of The Doctor-Approved Cannabis Handbook, notes limitations of the study, including challenges with meaningfully matching study subjects and a lack of important data including inflammation levels of patients and the types of cannabis products used by patients. However, he characterized the results of the research as “promising,” noting that by “lowering inflammation and reducing certain immune responses, cannabis could help prevent severe COVID-19 symptoms, especially the overreaction of the immune system, known as a cytokine storm, which causes many of the serious complications in COVID patients.”
“Cannabis seems to help calm the immune system when it overreacts, which is a big problem in severe COVID cases,” Caplan, who was not involved in the study, writes in an email. “By affecting certain parts of the immune system, cannabis may help prevent the dangerous inflammation that can make COVID much worse. In some cases, this effect could be lifesaving, especially for people at risk of severe illness or long-term COVID symptoms.”
Other studies have also shown a potential association between marijuana use and Covid-19
Previous Research Also Shows An Association Between Weed And Covid
Preliminary results of the study were announced in October 2023 at the annual conference of the American College of Chest Physicians (CHEST) in Honolulu. Other research has also shown an association between cannabis and Covid-19, including a 2022 study by researchers affiliated with Oregon State University that found compounds in cannabis prevented in vitro infection of human cells by SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19. The researchers found that two cannabinoid acids commonly found in hemp varietals of cannabis, cannabigerolic acid, or CBGA, and cannabidiolic acid, also known as CBDA, can bind to the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2. By binding to the spike protein, the compounds can prevent the virus from entering cells and causing infection, potentially offering new avenues to prevent and treat the disease.
“Orally bioavailable and with a long history of safe human use, these cannabinoids, isolated or in hemp extracts, have the potential to prevent as well as treat infection by SARS-CoV-2,” the researchers wrote in an abstract of the study.
Earlier this year, a study by Canadian researchers had similar findings, with researchers writing that “Cannabinoids have the potential to be used as a preventive approach to limiting the susceptibility and severity of COVID-19 infections by preventing viral entry, mitigating oxidative stress, and alleviating the associated cytokine storm.”
Other studies, however, have shown a negative association between cannabis use and Covid-19, including a study by researchers at the University of Washington published earlier this year that found that marijuana use was associated with an increased risk of severe Covid-19. Additionally, no studies have determined that smoking weed can prevent or cure Covid-19
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