Toronto-Based Retailer Testing COVID-19 Cannabis Medicine
Cannabinoids Could Help Reduce Symptoms for COVID-19 Sufferers – LPC
Cannalogue, a Toronto-based medical cannabis retailer, wants approval from Health Canada to test COVID-19 cannabis medicine. The clinical trial would be aimed at some of the worst hit by the virus. It would see if cannabinoids could reduce the devastating symptoms.
“There are known anti-inflammatory properties that cannabinoids have, cannabinoids being the active ingredients that come from the cannabis plant,” said Dr. Mohan Cooray, president and CEO of Cannalogue.
The anti-inflammatory properties of any potential COVID-19 cannabis medicine are key. Most people so far who test positive for COVID-19 or coronavirus have mild flu-like symptoms. However, the worst cases have triggered respiratory problems such as shortness of breath and coughing. These occur when the lungs have an inflammatory response to the virus. However, this response can make things worse. The lungs create fluids as part of the response. These fluids collect in the lungs, leading to pneumonia.
In theory, COVID-19 cannabis medicine would reduce inflammation so the lungs never have to create fluids.
Dr. Cooray said that their COVID-19 cannabis medicine might also boost the immune systems in patients. “We know from a medical standpoint that these active ingredients… augment the immune system to make it better,” he said. “We’ve seen this in diseases such as Crohn’s disease, rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis.”
Is COVID-19 Cannabis Medicine For Real? – LPC
Since COVID-19 became a pandemic, social media has been full of fake remedies to treat the virus from sipping water to a coronavirus prevention tea. If we’ve learned anything, it’s that we shouldn’t automatically trust claims of a COVID-19 cannabis medicine being real. (It’s also important to note that smoking cannabis isn’t prevention for the disease either. In fact, a recent report suggests that smoking and vaping tobacco or cannabis on a regular basis can increase risks for COVID-19.)
However, the science behind an anti-inflammatory treatment has a much stronger scientific basis. And if it does work, chances are it will help with a whole range of respiratory diseases, treating the symptoms and hopefully reducing the risk of other complications such as pneumonia.
Right now, cannabis is being tested as a treatment for a wide range of ailments. These include dementia, PTSD, and even superbugs. Researchers warn that cannabis research restrictions are a danger to public health. So, a COVID-19 cannabis medicine is not out of the question.
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