According to a large study, people who use marijuana are up to a third more likely to have a heart attack.
The research is another blow to the idea that marijuana is safe because it is “natural” – a common claim made by users of the drug.
Experts from Stanford University studied the rates of coronary artery disease (CAD) and cannabis use in 175,000 people in the United States.
The more someone has used marijuana, the more likely they are to be diagnosed, with daily users 34 percent more at risk than non-users.
Dr. Ishan Paranjpe, a physician at Stanford and the study’s lead author, said: “In terms of the public health message, it shows that there are probably some downsides to using cannabis that haven’t been recognized before and people need to take that into account . account.” ‘
According to a large study, people who use marijuana are up to a third more likely to have a heart attack
The above shows the use of cannabis in US states. Twenty-one states and DC have legalized it for recreational use in addition to medicinal use, with nearly all now allowing medicinal use.
The significant association remained regardless of whether users smoked tobacco, drank alcohol, had major cardiovascular risk factors, and regardless of age and gender.
Whether users consumed marijuana by smoking the drug, eating edibles, or otherwise also made no difference.
The study, the researchers say, is one of the largest ever to look at the drug’s stress on the heart.
THC binds to cannabinoid receptors in the brain, as well as organs and muscle tissue, including the heart and blood vessels. Although previous studies have reported somewhat mixed results on the relationship between cannabis and heart disease.
A 2019 study conducted by cardiologists in Louisiana and Arizona identified three ways cannabis use can affect heart health. The first is cannabis arteritis, a rare vascular disease that causes inflammation and tissue death and blocks arteries that lead to extremities such as toes or fingers.
Marijuana use can also lead to marijuana-induced vasospasm, or the sudden narrowing of an artery because the muscles in the artery wall contract rapidly and stay that way.
And marijuana can also lead to platelet aggregation, the process by which platelets in the blood clump together and form clots.
Meanwhile, a separate 2022 study, also conducted by Stanford researchers, found that marijuana users who smoked more than once a month were more likely to have a heart attack. And regular users were more likely to have a heart attack before age 50 than non-users.
Marijuana use also leads to a faster heart rate and an increase in blood pressure, both of which are believed to increase the risk of CAD.
CAD is the most common form of cardiovascular disease that can lead to heart failure. It killed more than 382,000 Americans in 2020. And according to federal data, about 20.1 million Americans age 20 and older have CAD.
It is usually caused by a buildup of cholesterol in the lining of the coronary arteries, which forms plaque that narrows the arteries and blocks the flow of oxygen-rich blood to the heart.
The Stanford researchers suggested that blood vessels interacting with tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the chemical compound in cannabis that gets you high, can cause inflammation in the blood vessels and plaque buildup, ultimately causing CAD.
As marijuana’s popularity grows and the legal landscape changes — 21 states have legalized recreational use for adults — doctors continue to study the long-term effects of smoking on the body’s physical and emotional health.
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Crystal Leahy is an author and health journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a background in health and wellness, Crystal has a passion for helping people live their best lives through healthy habits and lifestyles.
