Hemp, Inc. (OTC PINK: HEMP) a global leader in the industrial hemp industry with bi-coastal processing centers, including the 85,000 square foot multipurpose industrial hemp processing facility on 9 acres in Spring Hope, NC, a 55,000 square foot state of the art local processing center in White City, Oregon, a 500 acre hemp growing Veteran Village Kins Community in Golden Valley, Arizona, two model “Small Family Hemp Farms” in North Carolina and Arizona, a hemp pre-roll blending manufacturing facility in Las Vegas, NV, and a 5,000 square-foot retail store (The King of Hemp Store™) in Kingman, Arizona, shared today, an article featuring new information on medical cannabis as a potential therapy for COVID-19.

“It’s very promising to see that CBD is being extensively studied and is demonstrating to be useful in not just pain and anxiety relief but also for its potential antiviral qualities and cell repair capabilities,” said Hemp, Inc. CEO Bruce Perlowin. “As the cannabis industry continues to research and study its various cannabinoids, I think we’ll see more of its capabilities for use in modern medicine.”

The research study, led by biological scientist and researcher, Dr. Igor Kovalchuk, of the University of Lethbridge in Lethbridge Alberta Canada, highlights “cannabis extracts are showing potential in making people more resistant to the novel coronavirus”.  According to the recent article “Cannabis Shows Promise Blocking Coronavirus Infection” published in the Calgary Herald, Dr. Kovalchuk’s research team “sifted through 400 cannabis strains” and are now “concentrating on about a dozen that show promising results in ensuring less fertile ground for the potentially lethal virus to take root.”

“’A number of them (cannabis strains) have reduced the number of these (virus) receptors by 73 per cent, the chance of it getting in is much lower,’ said Kovalchuk.  ‘If they can reduce the number of receptors, there’s much less chance of getting infected.’”

Kovalchuk and his research team have been employing cannabis sativa strains over the past three months and says “the effective balance between cannabis components THC and CBD — the latter more typically associated with medical use — is still unclear in blocking the novel coronavirus.”  Kovalchuk also noted “it will take a long time to find what the active ingredient is” and that there may be many. “It’s generally the anti-inflammatory properties of high-CBD content that have shown most promise.  We focus more on the higher CBD because people can take higher doses and not be impaired.”

The article also states that “the study under Health Canada license using artificial human 3-D tissue models has been seeking ways to hinder the highly contagious novel coronavirus from finding a host in the lungs, intestines, and oral cavity.” Kovalchuk says, “If successful, the work could find practical medical use in the form of mouth wash, gargle, inhalants or gel caps” and that “it would be cheaper for people and have a lot less side-effects.”

“’The absence of clinical trials remains a barrier, and funding from an increasingly cash-strapped cannabis industry isn’t there to fuel that’, said Kovalchuk. ‘We have clinicians who are willing to work with us but for a lot of companies in the cannabis industry, it’s significant cash that they can’t afford,’ he said.”

Dr. Kovalchuk also emphasized in the article that “the findings wouldn’t lead to a vaccine — something ‘less specific and precise’ but nonetheless another possible weapon against COVID-19.”

“’The extracts of our most successful and novel high CBD C sativa lines, pending further investigation, may become a useful and safe addition to the treatment of COVID-19 as an adjunct therapy,’ said Kovalchuk.  ‘Given the current dire and rapidly evolving epidemiological situation, every possible therapeutic opportunity and avenue must be considered.’”

The news source also revealed “Israeli researchers have begun clinical trials of CBD as a treatment to repair cells damaged by COVID-19 by using its anti-inflammatory abilities. It’s thought CBD could enhance the traditional effect of steroids in such treatment of patients in life-threatening conditions and also bolster the immune system.”

“It’s the kind of research and his own that deserves government support in Canada, whose federal government has pledged $1.1 billion in funding for COVID-19 research said the U of L scientist. ‘Our work could have a huge influence — there aren’t many drugs that have the potential of reducing infection by 70 to 80 per cent,’ says Kovalchuk.” (Calgary Herald, 2020)