Cannabis & COVID-19: Beaking news or bogus science? A molecular biologist deconstructs sensationalist claims that cannabis can prevent or treat the coronavirus.

CANNABIS & COVID-19: BREAKING NEWS OR BOGUS SCIENCE? By Matthew Elmes, PhD

By Matthew Elmes, PhD. ​Another great article from our friends at Project CBD!

A recent story hit my newsfeed – and hit it over and over again – about how “New research shows that cannabis can prevent or treat COVID!” Examples can be seen here, here, and here.

Cannabis is often touted as a ‘cure-all’, and while there is indeed a wide range of verified therapeutic properties associated with cannabis use, there is also no shortage of anecdotal claims that are, well, bullshit. As someone who wrote and defended a PhD dissertation about how cannabinoids are working inside of our bodies, these claims tend to get under my skin probably more than they rightfully should.

The headlines I read about cannabis and COVID definitely caused my well-honed bullshit-meter to tingle, but the story was being so widely reported that I decided to give it the benefit of the doubt and actually read the full study being cited by these news outlets with an open mind.  For the reader’s convenience, the study in question by 5 researchers at the University of Lethbridge can be found here.

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