Can Medical Cannabis Prevent or Treat Coronavirus – Insider Health Report by Cannalogue

Disclaimer – Cannalogue is not claiming that medical cannabis will prevent Coronavirus or help treat Coronavirus or the symptoms that are associated with COVID-19.  Cannalogue is providing factual medical information to allow patients worldwide to make an informed decision for personal health reasons where modern medicine has no answers and the existing alternative is not acceptable.   

Current state of affairs

In December, 2019, Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), was identified in Wuhan, China. On March 11, 2020 a global pandemic was announced by the World Health Organization. With over 140,000 cases in over 130 countries, the most recent World Health Organization data confirms that COVID-19 kills 1 in 26 people that get the infection¹. Most of the fatalities involve those the elderly or those with underlying health problems. Based on the most recent statistics, four out of five people will have mild flu-like symptoms where the incubation and recovery period is 2 weeks². One out of five will have a severe lung disease with recovery taking up to 6 weeks³. We are anticipating the mortality rate to continue to increase based on the type of lung disease caused by this strain of Coronavirus. At this rate, And there is nothing to stop it except seasonal reduction or lowered Coronavirus potency as it passes from host to host.

Figure 1 – World Health Organization Bar Graph (x-axis time, y-axis cases, red line mortality rate)

https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/situation-reports

Medical facts about transmission

The virus is transmitted by respiratory droplets that are passed on by person to person through direct (for example, coughing or sneezing) or indirect contact with the droplets (for example, touching surfaces that contain the droplets with the Coronavirus, where Coronavirus may lay dormant for days). The Coronavirus can be acquired and become contagious before symptoms are ever seen. The Coronavirus is not airborne and no conclusive evidence demonstrates passage by way of ventilation, although this cannot be ruled out.

Diagnosis by elimination

99% of cases have a fever⁴. If you don’t have a fever, chances are you don’t have Coronavirus. 9 out of 10 have a cough with or without phlegm. If you don’t have a fever, and don’t have a cough, then even better chances that you don’t have Coronavirus. If you have a fever or cough, you should self-isolate for 14 days and follow the instructions of local public health officials.

A traveler’s disease spreading locally everywhere

Based on present statistics, a returning traveller with a cough and fever should be deemed to have Coronavirus until tested as otherwise. As per Public Health officials, all travellers should self-isolate for 14 days even without symptoms to protect the health and safety of others, especially the sick and elderly. One in five will develop a severe illness called Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome and will require hospitalization and possibly critical care.  This is a different strain of the same virus that caused the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in 2003, which at this time, appears to be worse.

Medical cannabis

Medical cannabis has no conclusive proof to show that it is effective against Coronavirus.  However, despite the very short time since legalization in Canada, we are already seeing research emerge that demonstrates medical cannabis has anti-infective properties.

 The following describes the role of medical cannabis in the fight against Coronavirus:

1. Medical cannabis benefits the host by boosting the body’s natural defences against Coronavirus (this includes prevention)
2. Medical cannabis directly lowers the replication of Coronavirus
3. Medical cannabis treats the symptoms caused by Coronavirus
4. Medical cannabis augments the hosts inflammatory response to Coronavirus
5. Medical cannabis provides protection against end-organ damage caused by the Coronavirus

Coronavirus and medical cannabis – what’s the link?

COVID-19 is a Human Coronavirus. Normally 5-10% of all adult respiratory tract infections are from Coronaviruses⁵. Different species carry different viruses, bacteria, parasites, funguses and other organisms, where these pathogens have learned to not harm the host but have learned to live together (symbiosis). Similar to how the human colon lives with billions of bacteria (the gut microbiome). The organism carrying the pathogen is a source or vector for transmission to humans. The origin of COVID-19 is not certain. The Coronavirus can be found in birds and mammals with bats being the most common source.  As humanity continues to encroach on the space of different organisms including plants, insects, and animals, we will continue to come in contact with new viruses that are native to these species but totally new to humans and modern-day medicine.

The Coronavirus genome is RNA in nature. Every time the virus replicates in the infected host, the blueprints in the RNA coordinate material (phospholipids) from the infected host to be used, to make an envelope around the virus to protect itself. Instructions to survive and replicate are coded in the RNA blueprints. On the envelope of the virus are proteins that are used for different functions of the virus (Figure 2. The two most important are the Spike (S) protein which give the characteristic spikes on the surface of the virus – the “crown” hence the name coronavirus. The S protein is a very important signal for the hosts immune system (the body’s cytotoxic T-cells) to fight the infection. The Nucleocapsid (N) Protein is important for viral replication inside the host, and is yet another target on the surface of the virus for immune cells to attack.

So why is the immune system not doing its job? The RNA blueprints of the virus spread and replicate faster that the immune system can respond. It usually takes 2-6 weeks for the body’s B-cells to make antibodies against new an infection. Despite the recent announcements about vaccines, the lead time for research, development, and commercialization of vaccines combined even the human body’s ability fight this exact strain of Coronavirus without mutation leaves an ill thought on the validity of vaccines at this time. The consequences to patients that are of advanced age or with health problems is severe enough to warrant strong consideration of medical cannabis as a preventative option.

Benefits of medical cannabis in the body against Coronavirus

When the ingredients from a cannabis plant enter the bloodstream and are metabolized by the liver into its active forms, the 150 plus active ingredients shower the body with benefits.  These plant-compounds called cannabinoids attach to naturally occurring cannabinoid receptors (CB) in humans found on the body’s white blood cells (T-cells). The activation of these receptors boost the function of white blood cells and the body’s defence mechanisms including its ability to fight infections⁶. Medical cannabis augments the body’s inflammatory response given its already known benefits in other inflammatory conditions such as Rheumatoid Arthritis, Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Multiple Sclerosis, and Psoriasis. Cannalogue classifies medical cannabis as a plant with human immunomodulator properties.

The mechanisms of action presented warrant strong consideration of the use of medical cannabis in the critically ill.  With the growing shortage of critical care beds and ventilators, medical cannabis should be considered as a viable option. We cannot conclude that all extreme measures of care have been exhausted without including medical cannabis in the list. Nasogastric tube administration of medical cannabis oils may have numerous effects including a direct role against the systemic inflammatory response syndrome called SIRS and any associated Sepsis or Shock⁷. In a population that has a predictably-high mortality rate, medical cannabis is worth exploring with consent. It’s time for doctors to start listening to new sources of real-world data and real-world experience.

Benefits of medical cannabis against viruses and infections

The best example to provide is Hepatitis C. Medical Cannabis has a known impact in Hepatitis C where patients using medical cannabis have better outcomes than patients without⁸. Hepatitis C is an RNA virus. We are not implying that the same anti-virals that are used in the treatment of Hepatitis C may be effective against COVID-19. Rather, given the genetic make up of Hepatitis C and Coronavirus, the blueprints may engineer like structural or non-structural proteins on the surface of the virus to target pharmaceutical and plant therapies against. If there is a time to act, it is now, following a global pandemic announcement.

Medical cannabis has a known impact on HIV-associated wasting.  It is unknown if this effect is driven by:

• The active ingredient THC stimulating appetite
• If the 150 plus active ingredients dampen the strength of HIV

In a recent announcement, McMaster University has published antibiotic properties of one of the compounds from the Cannabis plant – Cannabigerol (CBG) ⁸ (add reference).

It is fair to say that one if not more of the 150 ingredients found in the cannabis plant, if dosed appropriately by doctors could have anti-infective properties including anti-viral properties.

Why you should consider medical cannabis for Coronavirus

These are the reasons to use medical cannabis:

• There is no harm in medical cannabis and if dosed appropriately by doctors, it’s quite safe
• There is scientific plausibility for benefit of medical cannabis based on the mechanism of action against Coronavirus
• Any existing alternative options, vaccines, treatments, or cures do not exist against Coronavirus
• For high risk populations, it’s worth trying any preventative measure.
• For doctors, especially when other options have failed or healthcare resources are diminishing, medical cannabis could reduce mortality

Do we know that medical cannabis works against Coronavirus?  Well there’s nothing that works against this strain of Coronavirus. To know what will work could take precious time, where damage is done and lives are lost. We have months, not years – this is a sprint, not a marathon. If you could lose a loved one in your family, isn’t it worth trying everything beforehand? With 150 plant ingredients in a cannabis plant (think of it like vitamins) whose natural plant function is defense, doesn’t it make sense to allow it into the body to fight Coronavirus?  Using plants to fight diseases and treat symptoms is what we’ve been doing for thousands of years, so why change the process now? We have modern medicine.

During this highly stressful and provoking time, health professionals like Cannalogue are working around the clock to make a dent in this global pandemic. If you are suffering from anxiety, fear, stress, and difficulty sleeping associated with Coronavirus or its personal impact, there may be added benefit to medical cannabis which is one of the reasons for its use as well.

Closing statements from the CEO

The benefits of using medical cannabis in the prevention or treatment of Coronavirus are far too compelling to ignore.

We believe patients should be allowed the choice to make an informed decision about using medical cannabis to protect themselves against Coronavirus, and medical cannabis should be accessible worldwide during this unprecedented time in human history.

Dr. Mohan Cooray, MD FRCPC
Specialist in Internal Medicine, Gastroenterology, and Hepatology
President & CEO of Cannalogue

About Cannalogue

Based in Toronto, Cannalogue is a rapidly emerging healthcare technology company that received Health Canada’s first direct-to-sales licence for medical cannabis. Cannalogue’s innovative technology provides a safe, controlled, and cost-effective online marketplace that is globally scalable into all medical cannabis markets. Engineered by physicians Dr. Mohan Cooray and Dr. Andrew Lu, Cannalogue challenges the status quo and advocates on behalf of patients to educate medical professionals and government officials on the safety and benefits of medical cannabis as a viable treatment option to traditional therapies.

References:

¹World Health Organization
²Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention. JAMA. 2020.
³World Health Organization
⁴JAMA 2020
⁵Yale J Biol Med. 1974. 47(4):234.
⁶Cannabis Cannabinoid Res.  2016.  1(1):59-66.
⁷Cells.  2020. 9(2).
⁸National Academy of Sciences