Did you know 3 out of 5 trending Google searches in 2020 have to do with COVID and Cannabis in some form or another? It’s true! This is partially due in part to a “recent study” that was performed. News stories published all over the internet in dozens of magazines, news outlets, and websites have shared the info around. However, as professionals in the industry, we felt that these articles were a bit misleading. Therefore, we wanted to set the record straight for you.
COVID Cured by Cannabis?
Here are just a few of the headlines: Cannabis may show promise in treating COVID-19, Scientists believe cannabis could help prevent and treat coronavirus, and New study finds cannabis could reduce chances of COVID-19 infection. Why are they misleading? This molecular biologist and cannabis enthusiast break it down in his article on Project CBD. In it, he deconstructs sensationalist claims that cannabis can prevent or treat the coronavirus.
First off, the study that led to these new articles is weak from a scientific standpoint. This is due to the fact that the study was not conducted on humans or animals. Scientific studies and drug trials take a very long time to complete. It’s a lengthy process. Assuming a quick study conducted in such a short amount of time holds merit is likely going to disappoint. However, that is not to say it will be completely worthless. It may still hold value. Only time will tell.
Secondly, the scientific community is not in lockstep with one another on COVID treatments. Or much of anything for that matter. If the scientific community cannot come to a consensus about whether or not one should take ibuprofen while having COVID-19. With this in mind, how can anyone expect to know something legitimate about cannabis and COVID?
Things to Consider
- Ibuprofen has been around so much longer. If they don’t understand how it interacts with COVID, how can we expect them to understand how cannabis does?
- Cannabis remains illegal federally, making research dollars extremely hard to come by in the US
- Cannabis has hundreds of cannabinoids, terpenes, and phytocannabinoids — it’s not “C” for “Cannabis” with all cannabis being the same.
- We’re still trying to understand COVID-19 itself. Why are some people are asymptomatic? Why do those who show symptoms vary wildly? Scientists say it’s going to take a really long time to understand the biological basis for this.
Opinions on COVID Keep Shifting
The key biological component that seems to relate to both ibuprofen and cannabis when it comes to COVID is this ACE2 enzyme receptor. Some articles refer to it as an enzyme and others as a receptor. However, there really are ACE2 receptors and those are what COVID-19 binds to. In fact, the negative relationship between ibuprofen use and COVID stemmed from someone’s Tweet – not even a study. It was simply a hypothesis someone put out there in the Twitterverse. The hypothesis was that ibuprofen might boost the number of ACE2 enzyme receptors, which MIGHT facilitate the spread of COVID-19 in your body and help spread the virus faster.
Another hypothesis seems to be that inflammation is your body’s response to the virus and if you suppress inflammation you are suppressing the body’s immune response and its ability to fight off the virus. On the other hand, anti-inflammatories (and cannabis or particularly CBD has anti-inflammatory properties) might be helpful in preventing death from heart failure and cardiovascular problems that result from COVID-19.
Why Does That Happen?
One thing that happens in people with really severe COVID-19 symptoms is something called a “cytokine storm.” Here is an explanation of that. Whenever a healthy body is fighting an infection, there’s a natural immune system response that occurs. According to Carl Fichtenbaum, a professor in the division of infectious diseases at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, part of this response involves releasing cytokines, biological chemicals that stimulate cell pathways and allow for communication between cells.
According to the American Cancer Society, these cytokines essentially signal the immune system to start doing its job. Again, that’s normal—unless this outpouring of cytokines suddenly becomes accelerated. “Normally, cytokines are meant to be helpful to us in moderation,” explains Dr. Fichtenbaum, “but when a certain pathway is engaged [too much] the immune system starts causing damage to the patient.”[1]
Clinically speaking, a cytokine storm means a cell pathway has been turned on, leading to the production of a number of biological mediators (which are kind of like signal transmitters) that cause changes to the body and interfere with normal cell function. Commonly, this means an excessive number of cytokines are released, which create high levels of inflammation in the area of the body being flooded—so much inflammation, even, that it can be fatal.[1]
A Deeper Understanding
As the understanding of the virus deepens, scientists have found that in a minority of patients, the new coronavirus can trigger Cytokine Release Syndrome (CRS), an overreaction of the immune system, also known as a cytokine storm, that can cause massive organ failure.[2] Thus, the theory is that anti-inflammatories MIGHT be good in acute late-stage cases where there is a cytokine storm.
The Canadian study everyone was citing was attempting to demonstrate that CBD can downregulate ACE2, making it more difficult for the virus to spread inside of you. And you may remember from up above that increasing ACE2 receptors was theorized to cause the virus to spread quickly. So this is the basis for which they seem to be looking at down-regulation. However, down regulation may only be useful early on. In other words, the bottom line is that no one really knows anything.
Sources
[1] Health.com – https://www.health.com/condition/infectious-diseases/coronavirus/cytokine-storm
[2] MSN – https://www.msn.com/en-xl/news/other/experts-find-anti-inflammatories-might-save-lives-in-late-stage-covid-19/ar-BB1479LG
About OMG THC
We’re homegrown in Las Vegas, Nevada. We embrace niches others in the Cannabis market ignore or reject. Vegan? Diabetic? Old-school hash connoisseur? Looking for a specific ratio of CBD and THC in your products? You got it! We’ve got you covered!
Additionally, we care about quality and the effects our products have on people’s lives & health. OMG THC use only CO2 and ethanol extraction methods. We NEVER use butane or other petrochemicals to extract our oils. We want our products to be easy on the body and safe for our team to make.
Our products are simple and they are great. From the cannabis oils, we use to the packaging and the varieties of our products. Finally, and best of all, our edibles are damn delicious! In other words, if we wouldn’t want to eat them, we aren’t going to sell them to anyone else.
We NEVER cut our concentrates with anything – period! EVER! We use top of the line C-Cell hardware – always. We ensure quality and purity.
For Adult Use Only
OMG THC products are intended for use by and available to adults 21+ and over. Keep our products out of reach of children and pets. Be smart. Be Vigilant. Finally, enjoy our products responsibly and keep everyone safe.
As always, feel free to Contact OMG THC with any questions or comments you might have. We’re here for you and we’re responsive to your needs. If you’d like to locate OMG THC products, check out our dispensaries list. You can also find out more about OMG THC on Leafly.