Frequent smoking of marijuana may significantly increase the risk of heart attacks and strokes, according to a new study published Wednesday by the American Heart Association.
The study, funded by the National Institutes of Health, used data from nearly 435,000 adults, making it one of the largest studies on record examining the relationship between cannabis and the risk of cardiovascular problems.
Researchers found that daily use of cannabis was associated with a 25% increase in the likelihood of a heart attack and a 42% increase in the likelihood of a stroke.
Weekly use of cannabis was shown to increase heart attack and stroke risk by 3% and 5%, respectively.
“Cannabis use could be an important, underappreciated source of heart disease,” said Abra Jeffers, a data analyst at Massachusetts General Hospital and the lead author of Wednesday’s study.
Jeffers and her team suggested that smoking cannabis may be more dangerous than consuming it by other means due to the release of toxic chemicals that are similar to tobacco smoke when cannabis is burned.
“We’ve known for a long time that smoking tobacco is linked to heart disease, and this study is evidence that smoking cannabis appears to also be a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, which is the leading cause of death in the United States,” Jeffers said.
Only 10% of the sample population used marijuana, with nearly 75% saying smoking was their most common form of consumption. Only 4% of marijuana users were daily users.
Researchers adjusted for other cardiovascular risk factors, such as tobacco smoking, BMI, obesity, diabetes, and demographic characteristics.
Adult males younger than 55 and females younger than 65 who used marijuana had a 36% higher risk of coronary heart disease, heart attack, and stroke, irrespective of tobacco use.
Jeffers and her research team suggest that these findings should spur healthcare providers to screen for cannabis use during routine health screenings as a factor for predicting cardiovascular problems.
“This is an important public health finding, particularly given our ongoing efforts to reduce the burden of heart disease in this country,” said David Goff, director of cardiovascular sciences at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.
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The National Institute on Drug Abuse reported last year that marijuana use was at an all-time high across age brackets in 2022. Past-year use for adults between ages 19 and 30 reached a record high of 44%, an increase of 36% since 2012. Although daily cannabis use remains low, NIDA reported that it has nearly doubled since 2012.
“Asking patients about their cannabis use during routine medical exams or physicals in much the same way they might be asked about tobacco use will help us learn more about the long-term effect of marijuana on the body,” Jeffers said.