Study Finds Link Between Cannabis Use And Better Outcomes In COVID-19 Cases

A new study finds a link between the use of cannabis and improved outcomes for those who contract COVID-19, according to a Forbes report.

The research was published last week in the journal Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research and examined data from the National Inpatient Sample Database, which tracks hospital admissions.  It was conducted by researchers at Northwell Health in New York.

Out of 322,214 patients admitted with a COVID-19 diagnosis who were included in the study, 2,603 were cannabis users. Those individuals were found to have better outcomes and mortality than non-users.   “On initial analysis, cannabis users had significantly 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 authors concluded.  “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.”

They added, “The beneficial effect of cannabis use may be attributed to its immunomodulatory effects.”

Besides being divided into cannabis users and non-users, patients in the study were also matched to adjust for factors including comorbidities, age, gender and race.

28.2% of cannabis users experienced a serious COVID infection compared with 46.6% of non-users, according to the study. 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.

The research is promising, said Benjamin Caplan, M.D., a medical marijuana specialist and the author of The Doctor-Approved Cannabis Handbook, who was not involved in the study   He said 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.”

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