Cannabis Use Is Tied to a Substantially Higher Risk of Death From Cardiovascular Disease

According to a new meta-analysis in the journal Heart, the risk of death due to cardiovascular disease is doubled in cannabis users. Not only that, it is also associated with a higher risk of stroke and acute coronary syndrome, which occurs when blood flow to the heart is suddenly stopped or reduced.

Based on these results, a pair of researchers from the University of California, San Francisco, published a related article arguing for a different treatment of the drug in the future — a treatment in which cannabis is decriminalized, but still discouraged, on the basis of heart health.

“The robust meta-analysis of cannabis use and cardiovascular disease […] raises serious questions about the assumption that cannabis imposes little cardiovascular risk,” the University of California researchers assert in their article, also published in Heart. “Specifically, cannabis should be treated like tobacco: not criminalized, but discouraged, with protection of bystanders from secondhand exposure.”

Read More: Many People Think Cannabis Smoke Is Harmless

The Cannabis-Cardiovascular Connection

Many countries have removed or reduced their restrictions against cannabis in recent years, and the result has been an increased use of the drug, as well as a decreased perception of the drug’s risks. In fact, the broader legalization of cannabis for recreational and medical purposes has likely driven its boosted popularity and public image, leading many to see it as a relatively safe substance for relaxation and relief from stress, pain, and even boredom.

To learn more about the risks associated with the drug, a team from the University of Toulouse and Paris-Saclay University set out to analyze the available research on cannabis use and cardiovascular problems, including death from cardiovascular disease, as well as stroke and acute coronary syndrome.

Out of a total of over 3,000 relevant research studies, 24 were incorporated into the team’s analysis. Taken together, their results revealed that cannabis use was tied to higher heart risks, including a doubled risk (or a 110-percent increase in risk) for cardiovascular disease death, as well as a 20-percent higher risk for stroke and a 29-percent higher risk for acute coronary syndrome.

“Awareness has recently risen about the potential associated risks to the cardiovascular health of cannabis users,” the team states in its analysis. “The findings outlined by this meta-analysis should enhance the general awareness of the potential of cannabis to cause cardiovascular harm.”

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A Cause for Change?

Among the 24 studies included in the meta-analysis, 17 were cross-sectional studies, six were cohort studies, and one was a case-control study. In total, they involved around 200 million participants, primarily adults aged 19 to 59, with the cannabis users tending to be younger and male.

While the analysis has its limitations — in part due to the incomplete or inconsistent data of the included studies, and in part due to its inability to identify causal connections — the researchers from the University of California state that the results still provide important insights, with implications not only for the prevention of cardiovascular disease, but also for the regulation of cannabis in the future.

“Cannabis needs to be incorporated into the framework for prevention of clinical cardiovascular disease. So, too, must cardiovascular disease prevention be incorporated into the regulation of cannabis markets,” the researchers assert in their related article. “Effective product warnings and education on risks must be developed, required, and implemented.”

The cardiovascular risks associated with cannabis products of different potencies and different forms, from inhaled products to edibles, remain unknown. Also uncertain are the comparative risks tied to cannabis and to the other compounds associated with cannabis use.

“Other compounds in cannabis products also have cardiovascular effects,” the researchers add in their related article. “How these changes affect cardiovascular risk requires clarification, as does the proportion of risk attributable to cannabinoids themselves.”

Though further research is required, the analysis is a strong starting point with a potentially serious warning: Though popular, cannabis is still tied to serious, sometimes deadly, threats.

This article is not offering medical advice and should be used for informational purposes only.

Read More: Can You Overdose on Marijuana?

Article Sources

Our writers at Discovermagazine.com use peer-reviewed studies and high-quality sources for our articles, and our editors review for scientific accuracy and editorial standards. Review the sources used below for this article:

• Heart. Cardiovascular Risk Associated With the Use of Cannabis and Cannabinoids: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

• Heart. It Is Time to Treat Cannabis as an Important Risk Factor for Cardiovascular Disease

Sam Walters is a journalist covering archaeology, paleontology, ecology, and evolution for Discover, along with an assortment of other topics. Before joining the Discover team as an assistant editor in 2022, Sam studied journalism at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois.

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