The last time the world faced anything as life-changing as the Coronavirus was a century ago. The pandemic has shown just how unprepared most countries were for a health crisis of this magnitude. The virus first appeared in Wuhan, China and has spread to all continents except Antarctica. Over 1.3 million individuals have been infected worldwide, with at least 73,000 lives lost.
The virus shares many symptoms with pneumonia, and it attacks the respiratory system. Although everyone is at risk of infection, individuals with weak immune systems are at a higher risk of succumbing. Countries like Italy with a large percentage of old folks have been especially affected by the virus. It is transmitted through droplets that an infected person expels when they cough, sneeze or even breathe.
Since the virus attacks the respiratory system, there have been questions on whether individuals who smoke or vape marijuana or tobacco are more at risk. To collect more information on this, the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) is asking researchers to submit grant applications to study how such people are affected by the virus.
In a notice published last month, the agency stated that the rapid spread of the pandemic made it imperative that researchers identify the potential medical complications for people who use substances that compromise their respiratory systems. Two grants were made available to researchers who would be able to provide more insight into the matter.
“As people across the U.S. and the rest of the world prepare for what could be a pandemic of the 2019 novel Coronavirus or COVID-19, the research community should be alert to the possibility that it could affect some populations with substance use disorders or HIV particularly hard. Because it attacks the lungs, COVID-19 could be an especially serious threat to those with histories of smoking tobacco or marijuana or vaping,” stated the notice.
“Additional social and environmental factors associated with drug use may worsen the transmission and treatment of COVID-19, especially among individuals who experience homelessness or incarceration, which is more common among those with a substance use disorder,” the notice further explains.
The agency has stated that the grant’s prime objective is to understand whether ‘smoking tobacco or marijuana, vaping, opioids and other drug use could be a risk factor in the onset or progression of the Coronavirus.’
The research is ultimately geared at understanding the ‘respiratory effects of SARS-CoV-2 infection among individuals with substance use disorders, in particular those with nicotine, marijuana, opioid, and methamphetamine use disorders.’
Analysts believe the cannabis industry, including Champignon Brands Inc. (CSE: SHRM) (OTC: SHRMF) (FWB: 496), are likely to be eager to read the results of such research since they may potentially change how the industry is viewed by the public and regulators.
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