A study finds that marijuana consumers who caught Covid-19 had better outcomes and less mortality than nonusers. Records from 322,214 patients from the National Inpatient Sample, a government database that tracks hospital utilization and outcomes, were analyzed and of those patients, 2,603 — or less than 1% — said they consumed cannabis. And yet the research shows that cannabis consumers who caught Covid-19 had significantly lower rates of intubation, respiratory failure, and death than people who do not use marijuana. This data was presented in October at the annual conference of The American College of Chest Physicians (CHEST) in Honolulu. “Marijuana users had better outcomes and mortality compared to non-users,” the study says. The benefits seem to stem from marijuana’s “potential to inhibit viral entry into cells and prevent the release of proinflammatory cytokines.” The report suggested that further investigation into the significant decrease in mortality and complications due to the connection between marijuana use and Covid-19 was warranted. The marijuana users were, by and large, younger and with a higher prevalence of tobacco use. But, people who didn’t use marijuana had higher rates of other comorbidities, such as obstructive sleep apnea, obesity, hypertension, and diabetes. Patients under 18 were not included in the study.