could cannabis prevent covid?

maybe

Dear readers, 

This week was very… rich. There was a lot to be vexed about: from soaring inflation, to the empty shelves at Trader Joe’s, and someone whose name rhymes with eczema, single-handedly destroying what might be America’s last shot at halting a Republican-flavored assault on democracy. I will have more to say about the state of this great nation next week, but for now, I think we could all use a boost of positive news.

1.Omicron **might**have reached its peak

Omicron is peaking and so are my serotonin levels. In many cities like New York and Washington DC, cases of the new Covid-19 variant are finally starting to decelerate. The New York times reported that cases in Philadelphia have gone from 4000 a day to 3200 and scientists suspect that may continue. The same optimism is spreading to other parts of the world including the UK, prompting scientists to declare steady optimism that this wave of pandemic might be finally dwindling. And while the numbers are looking better, the current administration isn’t taking his gas off the peddle. Just yesterday, President Biden announced the purchase of 500,000 additional free at-home tests while also military deploying 14,000 National Guard members to 49 states to help get more people vaccinated, cared for and tested. Pfizer is also apparently already developing a vaccine that could prevent the Omicron variant. While no one likes to make predictions with a virus that’s so fussy, there’s more than one reason to turn that frown upside down.

2.Getting High Could Help You Avoid Covid 

Good old marijuana! Researchers at Oregon State University (Go Beavers!) recently discovered that many of the compounds found in cannabis could block the Covid-19 virus from penetrating the body. In a study published in the Journal of Natural Products, the researchers found that certain “cannabinoids, isolated or in hemp extracts, have the potential to prevent as well as treat infection by SARS-CoV-2.” But before you light up, take note of warning from researchers. They found that  “virus-neutralizing” capabilities are most effective against Covid when it’s in a pill or in liquid form, so while you want to roll a joint for many other reasons, smoking will not prevent you from catching the rona. Regardless, I didn’t have “more government research on how edibles can prevent covid” on my pandemic-silver-lining-bingo-card, but I’d be pleased if we saw the Biden administration pull the trigger on this for us.

3. Gender-Fluid Actor Cast as Male Lead in Snow White Remake

Every time a badass gender non-binary person gets attention, one of Ben Shapiro’s bad takes about “science” loses its wings. Consider this one of those glorious days.

Disney’s live-action remake of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves will feature Andrew Burnap, a 30-year-old actor who grew up in South Kingstown, Rhode Island. The actor is best known for his Tony Award-winning performance in The Inheritance, a story that explores the tension and intimacy between different generations of gay men in New York. In an interview with Glamour UK from 2020 Burnap spoke at length about gender and sexual identity:  

"I think I've benefited from the privilege of being assumed as straight my entire life, but I don't identify that way. It's been interesting to have people assume that I am that, and that's been difficult for me because I am in a place in my life where I feel like I'm in a space of expansion and stepping into the full version of myself, and certainly through my own sexuality. I'm sort of falling into the category of curiosity, questioning, and trying to understand my full self, and that's a really vulnerable, scary but also beautiful place to be."

While this is a pretty big deal I should note that Disney has always been fluid in its approach towards gender especially when depicting forces of evil. ​​For a troubling roundup of all the queer-coded Disney villains (spoiler, it’s nearly all of them) you can read this piece from The Tempest.

4.Surgeons successfully Transplant a Pig Heart to save a Human Life

Finally some good news for the more than half-million Americans currently waiting for a kidney and other organs! Doctors successfully transplanted a heart made from a genetically modified pig into a real life man. “It was either die or do this transplant,” David Bennett, a 57-year-old father with life-threatening heart disease, told The New York Times before he went in for the surgery. “I want to live. I know it’s a shot in the dark, but it’s my last choice.” While Bennett is still under observation to make sure he doesn’t develop any infections, his doctor called the surgery a watershed moment in medicine that could help a growing number of people get access to life-saving transplants. The FDA’s authorization of the surgery only applied to one patient but surgeons are hopeful that the operation could lead to more. With additional research and future trials doctors are hopeful that they could create an unlimited supply of organs for those who need them. Given that 8000 people on organ transplant lists die every year (that’s almost a person every hour) this scientific breakthrough could save millions of lives globally. There is however, no word yet on whether Senator Kyrsten Sinema will be receiving a heart to replace the pile of coal held together by a denim vest she has instead.  

  

Thanks for spending the week with me. 

-Liz