--- title: "French Government: No, Cocaine Doesn’t Cure Coronavirus" description: "The French ministry of health had to declare on Sunday that \"no, cocaine does NOT protect against COVID-19,\" in a post on Twitter." date: "2020-03-09" modified: "2020-03-09" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/neoscope/french-government-no-cocaine-doesnt-cure-coronavirus" categories: - "Developments" - "Health & Medicine" - "Medical" - "Pathogens" - "Viruses" tags: - "coronavirus" - "covid-19" - "virus" --- # French Government: No, Cocaine Doesn’t Cure Coronavirus ![The French ministry of health had to declare on Sunday that "no, cocaine does NOT protect against COVID-19," in a post on Twitter.]() *\Image: Victor Tangermann\* In a bizarre turn of events, the French ministry of health had to declare on Sunday that "no, cocaine does NOT protect against COVID-19," in [a post]() on Twitter. "It is an addictive drug that causes serious side effects and is harmful to people's health," the ministry wrote. https://twitter.com/MinSoliSante/status/1236626510703968257 The news comes after [memes]() suggesting that cocaine is able to "kill" the coronavirus started going viral online, as [*Business Insider* reports](). The doctored images were made to look like breaking news items on cable news. It's part of a larger trend of misinformation that frequently preys on people's fears about the spread of the deadly virus. Health officials, including a whole dedicated team from the World Health Organization (WHO), have been playing a game of whack-a-mole with numerous misleading and made-up conspiracy theories and myths surfacing all over the web. "Like a disease outbreak, \[the spread of misleading and false information\] changes and fluctuates over the weeks," the WHO's Andy Pattison [told *CNN*](). If these wild theories were to be believed, phony remedies including a hot bath, a cold environment, a hand dryer, eating garlic, or even not buying goods that were made in China could prevent the deadly virus, [according to an WH]()[O resource]() on the matter. Some have even proffered the theory that [5G connectivity is behind the virus outbreak]() or — on a much darker level — that it was a massive plot to exterminate certain groups of people. Unsurprisingly, Facebook has head to deal with its own deluge of fake news about the outbreak. In [an update last week](), CEO Mark Zuckerberg noted his company is "focused on stopping hoaxes and harmful misinformation" by "removing false claims and conspiracy theories that have been flagged by leading global health organizations" and blocking ads that are trying to take advantage of the situation by selling miracle cures and other scams. Last week, Facebook also decided to give the WHO [free ads]() to help them respond to fake news. In other words, buckle up — because online misinformation can spread even faster than a viral outbreak. ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()