Those who use marijuana daily are about one-third more likely to develop coronary artery disease than those who have never used the recreational drug, according to a new study.
“Maybe there are some harms to using cannabis that haven’t been recognized before, and people need to consider that,” Dr. Ishan Paranjpe, a doctor at Stanford University and lead author, said in a news release part of the study, which will be presented in early March at the American College of Cardiology conference.
Because of the risks that come with the use of marijuana, users should inform their doctors about their habit, for the purpose of monitoring heart health, the researchers said in the release. Those who used cannabis monthly did not show an increased risk of coronary artery disease, they found.
The study used data from the All of Us Research Program of the National Institutes of Health, which includes information about the health and behavior of 175,000 people. The researchers did not look for a difference in the health status of cannabis smokers and those who consumed it. food.
Marijuana smoke contains “many of the toxins, irritants, and carcinogens found in cigarette smoke, a known cause of heart disease, as well as cancer.” Its effects on the cardiovascular system have not been well studied because it is illegal at the federal level, resulting in restrictions on researchers, according to Harvard Health Publishing.
“As a result, everything we are told about what marijuana can or cannot do should be viewed with a certain amount of caution,” the organization writes. “This is equally true for risks as well as benefits.”
As such, cannabis consumption has been shown to cause arrhythmia and rapid heartbeat, and potentially sudden death, as well as an increased risk of heart attack, according to a 2017 article on Journal of Thoracic Pain. Other studies have suggested links between marijuana and atrial fibrillation, the most common heart rhythm disorder, and that smoking pot may increase the risk of stroke, according to Harvard Health.
Almost half of the US states There is legal recreational use of marijuana, and most allow its use for medicinal purposes. Nearly 90% of US adults think marijuana should be legal, for both recreational and medical use, or only for medical use, according to a November 2022 report from the Pew Research Center.
More than 2 million Americans with known cardiovascular disease are believed to have used marijuana, according to a 2020 article published in Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
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