According to a preliminary study published this month in the Journal of Cannabis Research, active cannabis consumers diagnosed with COVID-19 had better clinical outcomes than non-cannabis consumers.
They also had shorter hospital stays and better oxygen saturation levels. While the study is small and does not prove causation, it provides evidence that cannabis may have therapeutic benefits for people with COVID-19.
The study found that 4% of covid patients reported active cannabis use. The study included two hospitals in the Los Angeles, California area. The limitations of the study include the small number of patients who actively used cannabis. The study authors warn that the findings should be interpreted with caution.
The cannabis consumers in this study were younger, 62% male and 38% female, 48% were white, 15% were Black, 4% were Asian, and 28% were Latinx. Twenty percent of cannabis consumers also smoked tobacco, compared to just 4% of overall patients.
The study found that cannabis consumers are likelier to be male and white and smoke tobacco. They also tend to be younger than other patients. This information could help healthcare providers better cater their services to different demographics. There were 1,831 patients whose cases were analyzed, and they were all 18 or older.