Cannabis Use Linked to Increased COVID-19 Hospitalization and ICU Admission 

Cannabis Use Linked to Increased COVID-19 Hospitalization and ICU Admission. Credit | Neuroscience News
Cannabis Use Linked to Increased COVID-19 Hospitalization and ICU Admission. Credit | Neuroscience News

United States: COVID-19 and its outcomes – such as hospitalization and intensive care unit (ICU) also depend on the usage of Cannabis, according to a recent study published in JAMA Network Open. It is to be noted that the researchers have mentioned that similar risks were also seen among the individuals using tobacco.  

The study was conducted by researchers at the Washington University School of Medicine in St Louise, according to reports from CIDRAP News. It is to be noted that  

With the legalization of cannabis in numerous states and its increasing use for medical purposes, the substance has garnered a perceived “health halo,” leading many Americans to regard it as a healthier option compared to tobacco or alcohol, as reported by CIDRAP News.  

Cannabis Use Linked to Increased COVID-19 Hospitalization and ICU Admission. Credit | Adobe Stock
Cannabis Use Linked to Increased COVID-19 Hospitalization and ICU Admission. Credit | Adobe Stock

While addressing the concerns, MD, MPH, ScD Li-Shiun Chen – who is the senior study author, mentioned, “What we found is that cannabis use is not harmless in the context of COVID-19. People who reported yes to current cannabis use, at any frequency, were more likely to require hospitalization and intensive care than those who did not use cannabis.” According to the reports, the statement was shared by the expert during a press conference from Washington University School of Medicine.  

How was the study conducted by the experts? 

The study, which examined outcomes among 72,501 individuals treated for COVID-19 at centers within a major Midwestern healthcare system during the first two years of the pandemic, provides valuable insights into the risks associated with cannabis use, particularly in comparison to tobacco use. 

Of the participants, 51,006 (70.4 percent) required hospitalization, 4,725 (6.5 percent) needed an ICU visit, and 2,717 (3.7 percent) died. As per the researchers, the average age was around 48.9 years, out of which 59.7 percent were females and the remaining 40.3 percent were males. Furthermore, out of the total, 69.6 percent were White, and 27.6 percent were Black.  

Cannabis Use Linked to Increased COVID-19 Hospitalization and ICU Admission. Credit | Pexels
Cannabis Use Linked to Increased COVID-19 Hospitalization and ICU Admission. Credit | Pexels

Along with this, the researchers have mentioned that the majority of the participants, around 68.8 percent, were dealing with at least one disease, including obesity, diabetes, or any heart disease.  

The study revealed that 13.4% of participants were current smokers, 24.4% were former smokers, and 9.7% reported current cannabis use, as mentioned by CIDRAP. 

Cannabis was not linked to an increased risk of death from COVID-19. The authors calculated the risks for hospitalization, ICU admission, and all-cause mortality. They found that cannabis use was significantly associated with a higher risk of hospitalization (odds ratio [OR] 1.80; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.68 to 1.93) and ICU admission (OR 1.27; 95% CI, 1.14 to 1.41) but not with all-cause mortality (OR 0.97; 95% CI, 0.82-1.14). 

Current tobacco smoking, consistent with previous studies, was linked to worse outcomes for COVID-19 across all three metrics. It was significantly associated with a higher risk of hospitalization (OR 1.72; 95% CI, 1.62 to 1.82), ICU admission (OR 1.22; 95% CI, 1.10 to 1.34), and all-cause mortality (OR 1.37; 95% CI, 1.20 to 1.57) after adjusting for other factors. 

While addressing the concern, Chen mentioned, “Most of the evidence suggesting that cannabis is good for you comes from studies in cells or animals. “The advantage of our study is that it is in people and uses real-world healthcare data collected across multiple sites over an extended time period. All the outcomes were verified: hospitalization, ICU stay, and death. Using this data set, we were able to confirm the well-established effects of smoking, which suggests that the data are reliable,” according to the CIDRAP.  

Furthermore, the experts mentioned, “Given the rising availability of cannabis, these findings also contribute to the existing limited research on potential effects of cannabis use on COVID-19 outcomes. Overall, this research calls for further investigation into the associations of tobacco and cannabis use with COVID-19 outcomes.” 

Nicholas Griffith, MD, the lead author and a medical resident at Washington University, conducted the study while he was a medical student there. He explained, “Participants were asked a simple yes-or-no question: ‘Have you used cannabis in the past year?’ This allowed us to determine that cannabis use influences your healthcare experience, although we can’t determine the specific quantity used or whether the method of consumption, such as smoking versus edibles, makes a difference,” CIDRAP highlighted.  

“Those are questions we’d really like the answers to. I hope this study opens the door to more research on the health effects of cannabis.”