One thing that people are curious about, are the ways that marijuana can impact antibiotics. Both cannabis and antibiotics may feel like two very different things, but it’s something that can be a big problem for some people. However, with antibiotic-resistant bacteria, cannabis may be one of the new ways for us to treat this sort of thing. While marijuana does have a pretty bad reputation, still being considered a Schedule I drug, it’s important to understand that there are new changes happening, and with more antibiotic-resistant bacteria starting to come about, we do need to find other options. 

The problem With antibiotic Resistant Bacteria 

Antibiotics are something that are starting to become less effective. Our pharmaceutical world does have many means to fight infection, but the problem is, they’re not all perfect. The marijuana plant has been studied for a bit, and it was even found that CBD when used against salmonella actually reduced the way that it moved, and CBD especially is a natural antibacterial. So yes, there is a chance that cannabis could be the answer for those looking to possibly fight antibiotics with something different. 

Marijuana and the Potential 

Marijuana is actually something that does have a lot of potential to be a great antibacterial, but it was actually found that the cannabinoids that were found in the cannabis sativa plant weren’t as profoundly effective against the drug-resistant kinds of bugs that are out there. However, when they were mixed with other antibiotics, it was found that cannabis worked effectively to get rid of the pathogens that are resistant to drugs.

So what can we figure out from this? Cannabis alone is not effective enough to fight off these pathogens on their own, but if you pair these with some of the antibiotics that are out there, it could work. Antibiotics are a way we’ve treated bacteria for a long time. But bacteria are getting a lot smarter too, so we need to start weighing the options for when those antibiotics don’t work, and we’ve discovered that cannabis might be it.

What about as an Antibacterial? 

It’s something that might be good for the antibacterial reasons that are there. It was found through the American chemical society that broad-spectrum antibacterial and cannabinoids have the same sort of potential, and cannabigerol especially was found to fight the pathogens that are there. 

It was also found that cannabis, especially CBG in this, did kill off the staph bacteria, which are starting to become more resistant to these antibiotics, and it was driving up a ton of these infections.

Right now, hen you test this out on the E. coli bacteria, it was found that the antibacterial elements of this did inhibit the way that these grew, and antibiotics soon were less effective when facing these kinds of bacteria. However, we do need to look at where exactly cannabis is able to help with this, and also what kind of other cannabis products we can possibly put out there to help with this.

Right now though, the research on this is lacking immensely. Not because it doesn’t exist, but because of the fact that cannabis is still seen as a “gateway drug” by many, and right now, we need this to be legalized first. That way, people can enjoy cannabis without feeling that bad, and researchers will be able to do so much more with cannabis, including letting cannabis work as a way to treat some of those bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics, and other pathogens that are there as well for you to treat.