A new study found that marijuana use is linked to a higher risk of a dangerous cardiovascular event.
Even smoking cannabis as little as once a month can increase a person’s risk for stroke or heart attack, according to a study published Wednesday in the Journal of the American Heart Association and funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Another risk associated with marijuana use, whether consumed by smoking, eating, or vaping, is coronary heart disease, the study found.
The researchers looked at data from nearly 435,000 patients ages 18 to 74, which came from a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) survey on behavioral risk factors.
The most frequent cannabis users, those who use daily, had a 25% higher chance of heart attack and a 42% higher risk of stroke compared to people who had never used marijuana, according to the study.
Those who used marijuana slightly less often, once a week, had a 3% higher chance of heart attack and a 5% higher chance of stroke, the study found.
Close to 75% of the marijuana users the study analyzed said smoking was their most common way to use the drug.
Heart disease, heart attack, and stroke risks were all 36% higher for younger adults, who were defined as men younger than 55 and women younger than 65 if they used marijuana, regardless of whether they also used tobacco, the study found.
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“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, Ph.D., who is 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,” she said, noting that previous research suggested cannabis could be associated with cardiovascular disease.
Jeffers also said that smoking marijuana may have “additional risks because particular matter is inhaled.”
Support for legalizing marijuana has spiked over the last two decades, with most Americans now saying they support legalizing marijuana for both medical and recreational use. About 88% of Americans support legal pot for medical use, and 59% support legal recreational use, according to a 2022 Pew Research Center survey.
Despite the increasing legalization of marijuana, the drug has vocal critics.
Scientific research has linked marijuana to a host of problems, including anxiety, memory problems, lung issues, and even psychosis. Weed has been linked to schizophrenia, especially in people who are genetically predisposed to developing it, according to several studies. One study showed that THC in cannabis makes schizophrenia and psychosis symptoms worse and causes more relapses and hospitalizations.