Smoking Weed, Tobacco May Increase Risk of Coronavirus Infection

With most Americans unable to do much besides sit around their house due to various coronavirus restrictions, it’s fair to assume that there’s been no shortage of marijuana consumption during the pandemic. But this relaxing habit may make them more susceptible to COVID-19. “What happens to your airways when you smoke cannabis is that it causes some degree of inflammation, very similar to bronchitis, very similar to the type of inflammation that cigarette smoking can cause,” American Lung Association pulmonologist Dr. Albert Rizzo tells CNN. “Now you have some airway inflammation and you get an infection on top of it. So, yes, your chance of getting more complications is there.”

As he hints at in his quote, smoking cigarettes or vaping tobacco or weed can have similarly perilous effects.