New Study: Frequent Cannabis Consumption Associated with Heart Failure and Heart Attacks
A report was released Thursday linking heavy cannabis use to heart problems. Adults are up to 60% more likely to suffer heart failure, stroke or heart attacks compared to adults of the same age and sex without any cannabis use disorder. This is according to a new study led by a Canadian research team.
The population-based group study involved five health databases in Alberta, and the researchers noted that apparently healthy people still have an increased risk of cardiovascular disease if they have a cannabis use disorder.
In the study, adults with cannabis use disorder (CUD), particularly those who did not have co-occurring mental health disorders or other chronic conditions, had an increased risk of cardiovascular disease if they were not taking prescription medications and had not used health services in the past six months.
The results of the study should be considered exploratory, but the researchers point to the potential value of using disease as a marker, allowing users to take preventive measures through increased testing and screening or surveillance for cardiovascular disease in these high-risk groups.
Cannabis use has increased explosively
Marijuana use has increased significantly over the past decade: 55 million Americans report regular marijuana use. Cannabis has previously been linked to serious cardiovascular events, including heart disease, heart attacks, and strokes, due to the stress it can place on the heart.
Smoking cannabis can increase heart rate, dilate blood vessels and cause the heart to pump harder, immediately after use. The soft drug has also been linked to mental health risks in young adults, and people who use marijuana before age 18 have an increased risk of developing CUD, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“It is important to emphasize that these findings are observational and provide information about patterns within our data set. However, they do not establish a direct cause-and-effect relationship,” lead author Dr. Anees Bahji, of the University of Calgary’s Cumming School of Medicine, told Forbes.
Marijuana remains illegal at the federal level, but many states have legalized it for recreational use and most allow medical use. In late August, U.S. health officials recommended moving marijuana to a lower-risk drug classification, which would place it in a “Schedule III” group, meaning once it has undergone a substantial review process by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency.
Schedule III drugs are classified by the DEA as having low to moderate potential for physical and psychological dependence and are easier to study. Marijuana has long been a Schedule I substance, implying that it “has a high potential for abuse.” President Joe Biden supports the legalization of marijuana for medical purposes. While Biden has not stated whether he supports legalization for recreational use, he did say in 2021 that he supports states’ rights to legalize it, if they so choose.
Source: Forbes.com (EN)
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