Backstage Country

LISTEN LIVE

Can Weed Really Cure Covid?

Let me preface all I write next with the following statement:  I’m not a weed guy.  It just never appealed to me.  That being said, there are indisputable medical benefits…

cannabis
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Let me preface all I write next with the following statement:  I'm not a weed guy.  It just never appealed to me.  That being said, there are indisputable medical benefits derived from Cannabis.  The latest speculation is that certain "cannabinoid acids" can greatly aid in the treatment of Covid-19.  The first time I heard about this was a year ago with this report on Good Morning America.

Apparently, the clinical trials alluded to above actually came to fruition.   Oregon State University researchers have discovered that indeed, certain hemp compounds can prevent the Covid-19 virus from entering human cells.  Let that sink in for a second.  Remember all the times you've had drilled into you that nothing good comes from being a "pothead?"  I digress.  Anyway, here's how it works.  There are a pair of cannabinoid acids in hemp that bind to the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein.  What does that mean?  Well, essentially it prevents a critical step in the infection process.  Wait, before you start campaigning for weed to be as abundant as water, the study’s lead researcher says the cannabinoid acids “are abundant in hemp and in many hemp extracts” and “are not controlled substances like THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana.”

Charlie Nance is the Afternoon Drive co-host (along with his wife) of "The Charlie and Debbie Show" at WSOC, Country 1037 in Charlotte, North Carolina. The couple have been with the radio station since 2006. Charlie has won the prestigious CMA (Country Music Association) Award for Radio Personality of the Year and has been a finalist for the Country Radio Hall of Fame four times. Prior to his time in Charlotte, Charlie (along with Debbie) spent more than a decade hosting successful morning radio shows in Greenville, SC; Augusta, Ga; and Birmingham, Al. As a content creator for Country 1037, Charlie writes about dream lottery windfalls, sports, restaurants and bars, and travel experiences in North and South Carolina.