A screenshot of what looked like a newscast is doing rounds on social media. According to the post, ‘weed’, slang for the cannabis plant, can “kill coronavirus,”.
Filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri also tweeted a screenshot which says, ‘Breaking News: Weed kills coronavirus.’
Posting the image the filmmaker wrote, ”Cannabis is a magic plant. Till mid-80s it was sold by Govt. Because of Rajiv Gandhi and western Pharma companies it got bad name,” he wrote, ending his tweet with the following appeal: “Make cannabis legal.”
Various Twitter users are sharing the same:
Solution to a lot of world’s problems lie in India. But you can’t find them as long as you ridicule our ancient wisdom.
Cannabis is a magic plant. Till 1980 it was sold by Govt. Becoz of Rajiv Gandhi & West Pharma Companies it got bad name.
Make #Cannabis legal !!#CoronaVirus pic.twitter.com/ciDsFIwM9x
— #NATIONALISM (@BeingNationali1) February 8, 2020
FACT-CHECK
NewsMobile fact-checked the above post and through a simple Reverse Image Search, we found that the screenshot shared by Agnihotri and many others is actually a meme. It was created on the website en.dopl3r.com.
The website gives users the option to select a meme temple, a category and add images and text.
Is there a vaccine, drug or treatment for COVID-19?
World Health Organization (WHO) report says, ”Not yet. To date, there is no vaccine and no specific antiviral medicine to prevent or treat COVID-2019. However, those affected should receive care to relieve symptoms. People with serious illness should be hospitalized. Most patients recover thanks to supportive care.”
The CDC still reports that there is “currently no vaccine to prevent” and “no specific antiviral treatment recommended” for the novel coronavirus, or COVID-19. And the World Health Organization said specifically that smoking and “taking self-medication” are not recommended as coronavirus remedies.
Even though marijuana is used sometimes to treat chronic pain, it’s likely to give users “short-term problems with attention, memory, and learning,” the CDC says, and it can be harmful for developing brains.
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