New Study Suggests People Who Use Marijuana Could Be More Susceptible To COVID-19 Breakthrough Infections

A new study suggests using marijuana could increase a person’s chances of catching COVID-19 regardless of their vaccination status.

On Tuesday, the journal World Psychiatry published a study centered around “breakthrough” infections in fully vaccinated people who have been diagnosed with substance use disorders (SUD). Newsweek reports that SUD involves uncontrolled dependence on substances, including weed, alcohol, tobacco, cocaine, and opioids.

About 3.6 percent of vaccinated people had breakthrough infections who did not have SUD, and 7 percent of the vaccinated people who did have SUD had breakthrough infections. Weed-friendly participants represented the group of vaccinated folks who had the highest number of breakthrough infections with 7.8 percent.

The study showed that those who use marijuana might have behavioral differences, or the marijuana being consumed could affect the lungs and the immune system.

“Patients with cannabis use disorder, who were younger and had less comorbidities than the other SUD subtypes, had higher risk for breakthrough infection even after they were matched for adverse socioeconomic determinants of health and comorbid medical conditions with non-SUD patients,” the researchers wrote. “Additional variables, such as behavioral factors or adverse effects of cannabis on pulmonary and immune function, could contribute to the higher risk for breakthrough infection in this group.”