Can cannabis really prevent COVID? Not quite, but new study shows promise

Advertisement“This is not a replacement for the vaccine,” said Richard van Beeman, a researcher at Oregon State University’s Global Hemp Innovation Center who led the study, published in the Journal of Natural Products. And even if the supplements work, mass-manufacturing a pill that delivers consistent doses of the compounds could be tricky. Still, van Beeman said, “after so many decades of being prohibited from studying hemp, we were really pleased to be able to do that today.”The origins of the study lie in advanced computer modeling of cellular-level interactions. In addition to the cannabinoids, they found several other candidates in nature, including saponin compounds that occur in licorice. Advertisement“My anticipation is that these compounds will not be as effective as a vaccine,” Tafesse said.