Individuals who smoked marijuana daily had a 25 percent increased risk of heart attack and a 42 percent higher risk of stroke.
Using marijuana in any way considerably raises the risk of heart issues, according to a new study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association (JAHA).
Daily users have a 25 percent higher chance of a heart attack, and a 42 percent higher risk of stroke, the researchers found.
The peer-reviewed study, published on Feb. 28, looked at data from 434,104 individuals from 27 U.S. states and two territories who were surveyed between 2016 and 2020. Four percent of respondents used cannabis daily while 7.1 percent used it on a non-daily basis.
The study found that any type of cannabis use—smoking, eating, or vaporizing—has “strong, statistically significant associations with adverse cardiovascular outcomes” like coronary heart disease, myocardial infarction, and stroke.
Heavier use—using cannabis more days per month—was associated with “higher” odds of adverse outcomes.
The results were similar even after controlling for other cardiovascular risk factors like tobacco use, body mass index, type 2 diabetes, alcohol consumption, and physical activity.
“Patients should be screened for cannabis use and advised to avoid smoking cannabis to reduce their risk of premature cardiovascular disease and cardiac events,” the researchers recommended.
The study also looked at adults at risk for premature cardiovascular disease, which includes men below 55 years of age and women younger than 65 years.
Among these groups, cannabis use was linked to a 36 percent higher risk for coronary heart disease, heart attack, and stroke. Individuals who did not smoke tobacco cigarettes or nicotine e-cigarettes also had higher cardiovascular risks when they smoked cannabis.
“Despite common use, little is known about the risks of cannabis use and, in particular, the cardiovascular disease risks,” said lead study author Abra Jeffers, a data analyst at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.
“The perceptions of the harmfulness of smoking cannabis are decreasing, and people have not considered cannabis use dangerous to their health. However, previous research suggested that cannabis could be associated with cardiovascular disease,” she said.
