'Harmless habit' can increase risk of heart problems and strokes

29 February 2024 , 17:03

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Many say cannabis is a harmless substance [file image] (Image: Getty Images)

The seemingly 'harmless habit' of smoking cannabis has been linked to a 42 per cent increase in stroke risk, according to new research.

Experts have expressed concerns about the growing perception of marijuana as harmless, pointing out that Germany has recently made the decision to decriminalise the substance. However, the study warns that daily users could face a higher risk of cardiovascular disease - and they are at a 25 per cent increased risk of heart attacks and 42 per cent more likely to have a stroke. These dangers exist even when factors like tobacco use and other risks to heart health are taken into account.

Lead author Dr Abra Jeffers, a data analyst at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston said: "Despite common use, little is known about the risks of cannabis use and, in particular, the cardiovascular disease risks. The perceptions of the harmfulness of smoking cannabis are decreasing, and people have not considered cannabis use dangerous to their health."

Dr Jeffers added: "However, previous research suggested that cannabis could be associated with cardiovascular disease. In addition, smoking cannabis may pose additional risks because particulate matter is inhaled." The Journal of the American Heart Association shared these findings, showing that adults in America who use cannabis expose themselves to a higher risk of stroke or heart attack. In spite of federal regulations making it illegal, Washington and 24 other states have legalised the recreational use of cannabis, reports Wales Online.

According to a big survey from 2019, loads of people in the US 48.2 million who are 12 years old or more said they've tried cannabis at least once. That's more than before; it's gone up from 11 per cent to 17 per cent since 2002. They looked at information from 430,000 grown-ups aged 18 to 74 in America, collected between 2016 and 2020. The average age of the people in the survey was 45, and only 4% used cannabis every day.

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The scientists wanted to know if smoking cannabis often is bad for your heart, compared to people who never smoked cigarettes or vaped. They found out that people who use cannabis every day have a 25 per cent higher chance of having a heart attack than those who don't use it at all. If you smoke cannabis every day, you're also 42 per cent more likely to have a stroke than someone who doesn't use it. But if you don't use it every day, the risk is less.

Younger adults, men under 55, and women under 65 had a 36 per cent higher chance of getting heart problems like heart disease, heart attacks, and strokes, even if they didn't smoke normal cigarettes. Dr Jeffers said: "Our sample was large enough that we could investigate the association of cannabis use with cardiovascular outcomes among adults who had never used tobacco cigarettes or e-cigarettes. Cannabis smoke is not all that different from tobacco smoke, except for the psychoactive drug: THC vs. nicotine.

"Our study shows that smoking cannabis has significant cardiovascular risks, just like smoking tobacco. This is particularly important because cannabis use is increasing, and conventional tobacco use is decreasing." Professor Robert Page of clinical pharmacy medicine at the Skaggs School of Pharmacy who was not part of the study said: "In the overall population, the study findings are consistent with other studies indicating that daily cannabis use was associated with an increase in heart attack, stroke and the combined endpoint of coronary heart disease, heart attack and stroke."

"The findings of this study have very important implications for population health and should be a call to action for all practitioners. As cannabis use continues to grow in legality and access across the US, practitioners and clinicians need to remember to assess cannabis use at each patient encounter in order to have a non-judgmental, shared decision conversation about potential cardiovascular risks and ways to reduce those risks."

The study had several limitations, including that cardiovascular conditions and cannabis use were self-reported, making them potentially subject to potential errors in memory.

Rom Preston-Ellis