Cannabis Use Linked to Higher Heart Disease, Stroke Risk

A comprehensive review of global data indicates that using cannabis may double the chances of dying from heart disease. It could also elevate stroke risk by 20%, prompting urgent warnings about the impact of cannabis on cardiovascular health.

Startling Findings

A recent analysis reveals that cannabis use carries significant health risks. The research team from the University of Toulouse in France found that this knowledge gap is especially critical because cannabis consumption has significantly increased over the past decade.

Researchers examined multiple studies published between 2016 and 2023. These studies explored the relationship between cannabis use and cardiovascular outcomes.

The analysis encompassed 24 studies, encompassing around 200 million people. These included 17 cross-sectional studies, six cohort studies, and one case-control study. Participants were primarily between 19 and 59 years old. In studies where sex was recorded, cannabis users tended to be mostly male and younger than non-users.

The analysis uncovered alarming links to cardiovascular issues. It found a 29% higher risk of acute coronary syndrome, a 20% higher stroke risk, and a doubling of the risk of death from cardiovascular disease. The results were published in the journal Heart.

The scientists acknowledged limitations, including a moderate to high risk of bias in many studies. These biases stemmed from insufficient information about missing data and imprecise measures of cannabis exposure. Most studies were observational, and some used similar data.

Expert Commentary

The study’s findings should increase public awareness of cannabis’s potential to cause cardiovascular harm, the researchers said. These findings… should enhance the general awareness of the potential of cannabis to cause cardiovascular harm.

“The findings outlined by this meta analysis should enhance the general awareness of the potential of cannabis to cause cardiovascular harm.”

—Researchers, University of Toulouse

Need for Further Investigation

In a linked editorial, Professor Stanton Glantz and Dr. Lynn Silver from the University of California at San Francisco stated the analysis raises critical questions about the assumption that cannabis poses little cardiovascular risk.

They emphasize the need for further research to clarify whether risks are limited to inhaled products. Cannabis is now more potent, including various inhaled high-potency concentrates and edibles.

The researchers wrote: How these changes affect cardiovascular risk requires clarification, as does the proportion of risk attributable to cannabinoids themselves versus particulate matter, terpenes or other components of the exposure.

Cannabis regulation should incorporate cardiovascular disease prevention. Effective product warnings and education on risks must be developed, required, and implemented. Cardiovascular and other health risks must be considered in regulating allowable product and marketing design.

Cannabis should be treated like tobacco, not criminalized, but discouraged, protecting bystanders from secondhand exposure. In 2023, more than 50% of adults in the U.S. reported having used cannabis at some point in their lives (CDC).