Could Cannabis Be the Solution to COVID-19? Maybe, Says This Study

Canadian Research Says Weed Could Help Reduce Chances of Catching Coronavirus by 73%

From epilepsy and chronic pain to anxiety and depression, cannabis has been widely hailed by many as a ‘miracle’ natural solution for many different ailments. But now, it’s being explored by the medical community for a completely new and exciting reason: its potential to help reduce the threat of COVID-19.

Since the coronavirus began rapidly spreading around the world earlier this year, resulting in a global pandemic, scientists and medical researchers have been scrambling to find a cure or a vaccine that could help stop COVID-19 in its tracks. But now, according to researchers at the University of Lethbridge in Alberta, Canada, the missing piece of the puzzle may have been in front of us all along.

So how exactly did they find a link between cannabis and coronavirus?

The researchers reviewed over 400 Health Canada-approved cannabis strains and found that 13 of them—most of which were CBD heavy sativas—had the ability to down-regulate the protein receptor ACE2. ACE2 is what is targeted by the coronavirus in the mouth, lungs, gastrointestinal tract, and other parts of the body. The study explored the link by using artificial 3D models to mimic parts of the body that are impacted by COVID-19.

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Essentially, what this means in non-scientific terms, is that because certain strains of cannabis interact with the same protein receptors as the coronavirus, smoking or consuming these strains can help reduce your chances of contracting COVID-10 by up to 73 percent.

Researchers concluded that when consumed orally via oil or mouth spray, CBD could be used to help limit the spread of COVID-19 until a vaccine hits the market.

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“The extracts of our most successful and novel high CBD C sativa lines, pending further investigation, may become a useful and safe addition to the treatment of COVID-19 as an adjunct therapy,” said the study’s lead researcher, Dr. Igor Kovalchuk. “Given the current dire and rapidly evolving epidemiological situation, every possible therapeutic opportunity and avenue must be considered.”

However, before you start stockpiling weed and CBD oil, it’s important to keep in mind that this discovery is fairly new and has yet to be peer-reviewed or tested on humans. But still, this is a pretty incredible discovery, and could potentially help put an end to this awful virus.

We always knew cannabis would one day save the world!

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You can read more about the research here.