Smoking marijuana is widely regarded by many to be safe, but research this week revealed that using the drug can be associated with having a higher risk of heart attack or stroke.
The analysis examined data from 24 studies, which revealed that the use of marijuana doubles the risk of death from cardiovascular disease, reported The New York Times on Thursday.
The data, published in the journal Heart, didn't prove conclusively that marijuana caused more deaths, but it has been long-established that using it can raise a person's heart rate and blood pressure while changing the heart's rhythm, Dr. Ersilia DeFilippis, a cardiologist at Columbia University Irving Medical Center, commented.
Emilie Jouanjus, a pharmacologist at the University of Toulouse in France and a senior author for the new study, said there are many valid reasons for people to use marijuana, including for anxiety and stress, but people should use the substance with caution.
The greatest risk lies for older adults and people with preexisting conditions, like diabetes, high cholesterol or other heart problems, putting their cardiovascular systems in a more fragile state.
However, the average age of patients included in the study was 38, indicating that marijuana can increase risks for younger adults as well.
Stanton Glantz, a former director of the Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education at the University of California, San Francisco, commented that the risks of using marijuana are similar to those faced by light smokers.
The analysis did not examine how often people smoked marijuana but instead compared people who have smoked it compared to those who have not.
However, other studies suggested that people who smoke marijuana are more at risk.
In 2024, one study said that weekly use could be linked with 3% higher odds of having a heart attack and 5% higher odds of suffering a stroke.
It also said that with daily use, people were 25% more likely to have a heart attack and 42% more likely to have a stroke.
Ziva Cooper, the director of the Center for Cannabis and Cannabinoids at the University of California, Los Angeles, commented that there could be harm among people who have not been exposed to marijuana for long.
Cooper added that it's difficult to determine, however, whether the amount of THC — the primary psychoactive compound in cannabis — makes a difference. That's because most people don't really know how much THC they're ingesting, even with edible forms that may list inaccurate amounts.
She further said that it may be safer to buy marijuana from a licensed dispensary instead of on the street because the potency and purity of the drug are better regulated.
Most experts, though, suggested that people avoid inhaling when they smoke marijuana, as the chemicals will go deep into the lungs.
However, University of California biologist Matthew Springer commented that the regular use of edibles or smoking marijuana resulted in similar amounts of blood vessel issues.
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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