A group of self-described “weed nuns” cheered a study that found cannabis may help prevent COVID-19 infections.
“We are, naturally, pleased that science is catching up with ancient wisdom,” Sister Kate of the Sisters of the Valley told The Sun.
An Oregon State University study, released last week, found two compounds in marijuana may bind to the COVID-19 spike protein, preventing its entry to healthy cells.
“It’s wonderful progress to have the scientific community say ‘we’re already determined that there are compounds in hemp that can prevent infection’, so now, we can just get on to studying dosage,” said the nun, whose legal name is Christine Meeusen said. “That’s progress.”
Dr. Richard van Breeman, of OSU’s Global Hemp Innovation Center, said that the two compounds, cannabigerolic and cannabidiolic acids, could help prevent and treat COVID-19.
“They are not controlled substances like THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, and have a good safety profile in humans,” he added.
Meeusen’s northern-California-based feminist collective — the Sisters of the Valley, which is unsurprisingly not affiliated with the Catholic Church — grows its own pot, which it uses to create holistic health products. It started with just 12 plants, but grew to over $1 million in annual revenue before the pandemic.
“So we created something that is nonreligious, but it’s spiritual — and it’s very eco-feminist in nature.”
