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Cannabis use was significantly associated with a greater risk of severe outcomes following a COVID-19 infection, according to a retrospective study that spanned the first 2 years of the pandemic.

Among more than 70,000 patients with a documented case of COVID at a large medical center in the Midwest, use of cannabis was linked with an 80% greater risk of hospitalization and a 27% higher risk for intensive care unit (ICU) admission after an infection, but no difference in all-cause mortality.

The elevated risks for hospitalization and ICU admission were about on par with that of smoking, reported Li-Shiun Chen, MD, MPH, ScD, of the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, and coauthors of the study.

The electronic health record (EHR)-based study, published in JAMA Network Open, also confirmed the established link between tobacco smoking and increased risks for serious outcomes from COVID. That association was observed both in current and former smokers and included a higher risk for mortality. Head over to Medscape to read the full story.