Marijuana's already looked to as a way to prevent boredom right now, but Canada's University of Lethbridge is studying how it might be effective in preventing COVID-19.

Working with a cannabis therapy research company Pathway RX and the cannabinoid research and development company Sywsh, researchers at the Canadian university have studied over 400 strains of marijuana. The conclusion? At least a dozen strains have shown promise in preventing the virus from latching onto a host in someone's mouth, intestines, and lungs.

“Given the current dire and rapidly developing epidemiological situation, every possible therapeutic opportunity and avenue needs to be considered,” the study’s head researcher Dr. Igor Kovalchuk and CEO of Pathway RX said in a release from the University of Lethbridge from April. “Our research team is actively pursuing partnerships to conduct clinical trials.”

The strains that were studied were higher in CBD than THC, and applied those CBD extracts to artificial human 3D oral, airway, and intestinal tissues. While some extracts yielded successful results, they "require further validation in a large-scale analysis and an animal model," Drs. Igor and Olga Kovalchuk said, adding that "our study is crucial for the future analysis of the effects of medical cannabis on COVID-19."

If peer-reviewed studied and research continues, the paper published by the research team noted there could be future avenues of study with mouth wash, gargle, inhalants or gel caps. Groovy.