Cannabinoids and COVID-19

Myriam El Biali; Barbara Broers; Marie Besson; Jules Demeules

doi:10.1159/000510799

Cannabinoids and COVID-19

Med Cannabis Cannabinoids. 2020 Aug 19;3(2):111-115. doi: 10.1159/000510799. eCollection 2020 Dec.

Authors

Myriam El Biali¹, Barbara Broers², Marie Besson¹, Jules Demeules¹

Affiliations

¹ Division of Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland.
² Division of Primary Care, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland.

Abstract

Since the endocannabinoid system is involved in immune function, the effect of cannabinoid intake on infectious conditions is questioned for several years and is of particular interest in the COVID 19 pandemia. Some data suggest that the immunomodulatory effect of cannabinoids may affect the course and severity of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Given the large number of cannabinoids consumers in the community, this commentary presents the current knowledge on the potential impact of cannabinoids and endocannabinoids on bacterial and viral infection courses namely SARS-CoV-2 disease. Practical recommendations, which can be drawn from the literature, are given.

Keywords: COVID-19; Cannabinoids; Endocannabinoid system; Immunity; SARS-CoV-2.