Marijuana addiction elevates risk for heart attacks, strokes by 60%: study

Health

By Adriana Diaz

Puff, puff, maybe you should pass.

New research from the University of Calgary shows that people addicted to marijuana are more likely to suffer heart attacks, strokes or other cardiovascular episodes compared to those without cannabis use disorder.

The study, published Wednesday in Addiction, a peer-reviewed scientific journal, found that adults who misuse cannabis have a 60% higher risk of experiencing their first heart attack, stroke, or other major cardiovascular event.

“Our study doesn’t provide enough information to say that cannabis use disorder causes adverse cardiovascular disease events, but we can go so far as to say that Canadians with cannabis use disorder appear to have a much higher risk of cardiovascular disease than people without the disorder,” lead author Dr. Anees Bahji said in a statement.

Researchers analyzed data over an eight-year period from nearly 60,000 Canadians — half had a cannabis use disorder diagnosis and half didn’t.

A participant was considered to have the disorder if a formal diagnosis by at least one medical professional was made in their medical record.

Researchers noted that data suggests the addiction is under-diagnosed.

Of those with the disorder, 2.4% (721) experienced a first-time cardiovascular disease event between January 2012 to December 2019, compared with just 1.5% (458) in the other group.

Reported problems include heart attacks, strokes, cardiac dysrhythmias, and peripheral vascular disease — when narrowed blood vessels limit blood flow to the limbs.

Even those considered healthy because they had no pre-existing medical conditions, no drug prescription, and few doctor visits, still had 1.4 times the risk of heart problems.

The scientists said this elevated risk may be because these participants considered themselves healthy and overlooked warning signs of their declining cardiovascular health.

This study echoes others that have warned of the potential health hazards of frequent cannabis use.

Research presented by the American College of Cardiology earlier this year found that using marijuana every day increases the risk of developing heart disease.

People who use marijuana daily were also found to be more likely to develop coronary artery disease versus those who never used cannabis.

Recreational marijuana became legal in New York in 2021 — about 2.7 million New Yorkers are said to consume it at least once a month.

As marijuana becomes more legal around the country, experts continue to debate the health risks and benefits of the psychoactive drug.

Some strongly recommend those who partake inform their doctors, so they can better monitor their heart health.

Heart disease is the leading cause of death worldwide, accounting for about one in every five US deaths, killing someone every 33 seconds, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The CDC says these are signs of marijuana use disorder :

• Using more marijuana than intended
• Trying but failing to quit using marijuana
• Spending a lot of time using marijuana
• Craving marijuana
• Using marijuana even though it causes problems at home, school, or work
• Continuing to use marijuana despite social or relationship problems
• Giving up important activities with friends and family in favor of using marijuana
• Using marijuana in high-risk situations, such as while driving a car
• Continuing to use marijuana despite physical or psychological problems
• Needing to use more marijuana to get the same high
• Experiencing withdrawal symptoms when stopping marijuana use