With marijuana use rising nationwide, new research highlights significant cardiovascular risks associated with cannabis consumption. A study published Tuesday in the journal Heart found that cannabis users face double the risk of death from cardiovascular disease, along with a 29% higher risk of acute coronary syndrome and a 20% increased risk of stroke.
The researchers analyzed data from 24 studies conducted between 2016 and 2023. While the findings offer a comprehensive overview of cannabis’s impact on heart health, the authors noted limitations, including challenges in accurately measuring dosage.
As recreational marijuana is now legal in 24 states, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration is moving to reclassify cannabis to a less restrictive category under the Controlled Substances Act. Meanwhile, a Carnegie Mellon University report revealed that daily marijuana users have outnumbered daily drinkers for the first time, driven primarily by younger adults. A 2022 survey by cannabis research firm New Frontier Data found that 69% of people aged 18 to 24 prefer marijuana over alcohol.
Despite increased use and decreasing perceptions of risk, public health experts caution about the potential dangers. Dr. Lynn Silver of the Public Health Institute and Stanton Glantz, emeritus professor at the University of California, San Francisco, emphasized in an editorial accompanying the study that cannabis should be “treated like tobacco: not criminalized but discouraged.” They also advocate for protecting bystanders from secondhand exposure.
The experts called for further research to determine whether cardiovascular risks are confined to inhaled cannabis products, which comprised most cases in the analysis, or if they extend to other consumption methods.
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