People nowadays are genuinely afraid of contracting coronavirus because there is neither a cure for this disease nor a vaccine up to date. It is still unknown why some people could recover after affliction; however, we are certain that what could save people from this novel coronavirus is certainly their strong immunity system. There has been a hot debate as to whether cannabis and its active chemical compound, CBD, could boost the immune system and how it does it. In this article, we are inspecting some of the properties of the medical cannabis compound and how it helps improve the human immune system, and how it can be used as a treatment in case you are an active case of COVID-19.
There are some antiviral and antibacterial drugs with positive effects being used for patients being hospitalized in hospitals, but none of them has been proved to be the final solution in all severe coronavirus cases. What we know for sure is that CBD has long been known for its painkilling and anti-inflammatory properties. Before getting more acquainted with the relation of CBD and medical cannabis, it would be better to figure out where this coronavirus came from and what its characteristics are.
What is Coronavirus (COVID-19)?
The complete name of this virus is SARS-CoV-2. Covid-19 is not actually something completely new. As its thorough name suggests, there has been a genetic mutation in the previous form of this virus which made it a new or novel virus starting its outbreak in the year 2019, hence the name COVID-19. It was first originated from Wuhan, China, contracting people and attacking their respiratory systems with a range of severeness from mild to fatal. The seriousness of coronavirus starts with pneumonia and shortness of breath leading people to be in desperate need of mechanical ventilation.
Coronavirus enters your body through your mucus in the eyes, nose, and mouth, and the best way to protect yourself is by avoiding touching these areas with unwashed hands and taking into account the physical distance with people about at least a meter.
Dry cough and fever are the early symptoms of coronavirus. Among all people, those who had a previous medical condition, such as respiratory problems, asthma, heart disease, or diabetes, as well as elderly people with weak immune systems are at high risk when it comes to coronavirus.
The relationship between Cannabis and Coronavirus
CBD in cannabis has long been known to enjoy an anti-inflammatory trait; nevertheless, the strength of the relationship between cannabis and coronavirus side effects are still unknown just as some over-the-counter medicines are. There are some studies done on the correlation between medical cannabis and HIV which prove it has a far-reaching effect on the disease. In fact, the users of this popular cannabis have long claimed that it has buffered their immune system against some other viruses, too.
Along with all self-care you can do in self-isolation such as working out, having enough sleep, observing sanitation, and last but not least avoiding stress, there can also be some medical cannabis which may come handy, for they can relieve emotional stress in quarantine and somehow boost the immunity of your body. In a neuron journal, it was stated that some special kinds of medical cannabis cause the brain to produce a biomolecule specialized in alleviating stress.
Based on the information from WHO, the therapeutic effect of cannabinoids is under study especially about asthma treatment and that research in antidepressant properties of such drugs is under investigation. It is true that smoking and also second-hand smoke can put you more at risk which is 14 times as risky as for non-smokers because it involves your lungs; nonetheless, the type of smoke make a huge difference i.e. not all smokes are harmful; for example, the smoke of hedge mustard seeds has long been proven to help with chickenpox and its scars. Therefore, avoiding the use of therapeutic cannabis for those who seek medical help is inevitable.
As coronavirus is a disease directly attacking your respiratory system and lungs, it is advised that if you want to smoke cannabis, it would be better to do so without combustion procedure which means using high-tech dry herb vaporizers. Combusted plant material causes stress to the lungs. Therefore, the best way to use cannabis in this germophobic age of coronavirus is to use its edible, oil, ointment forms with a careful dosage in mind. As sometimes with edibles you think a bite of brownie with cannabutter ingredient is weak but rest assured that it takes so much longer than smoking to affect.
Also, as consumption of cannabis is a communal activity and that sharing the tools is commonplace, avoid sharing the same joints, vaping pens, water pipes, and bongs. Try just to follow alcohol or beer drinkers’ customs and do not share your cannabis for a while.
It is somehow unethical to deprive the previous patient consumers of medical cannabis of buying them in these pandemic time since most of them assume it is not necessary to spend a large sum of money money and time seeing a physician or maybe a specialized physician to prescribe medications, which may follow-up with disastrous side effects; moreover, it is these people’s right or legal right, depending on the country where they live, to buy the targeted medical cannabis while observing the physical distance in shopping any goods.
Final words
Based on what has been discussed, up to date, there are no any certain recommendations as to whether using cannabis in the time of coronavirus pandemic would help patients to ease their pain or strengthen their immune system or lungs. What is more, there are no reliable studies showing that using cannabis helps you prevent COVID-19. Therefore, until the treatment is found and thus far the vaccine is produced, you should at least avoid weakening your lungs by using the edibles, beverages, or ointments extract of cannabis and not smoking it in order to stay safe from the immunosuppressive effects. Observe physical distance and stay safe even though some of you would like to consume cannabis to make quarantine time pleasant.
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