February 28, 2024
Doug Hood/Asbury Park Press
A new study shows that regular cannabis use greatly increases the risk of heart attack and stroke. In the file photo above, a New Jersey resident attends a rally hosted by the Coalition for Medical Marijuana of New Jersey.
The vast majority of people who use cannabis smoke it – and that may significantly increase their risk of heart disease and stroke, new research shows.
In a study published Wednesday, 75% of participants reported smoking cannabis, while 25% said they used it in some other way – through edibles, drinking it or vaping it.
Overall, daily cannabis use was associated with a 42% increased likelihood of stroke and a 25% increased risk of heart attack when compared with people who did not use the drug in any way. Even less frequent use of cannabis was associated with increased risk of cardiovascular events, with weekly users showing a 5% increased risk of stroke and a 3% increased likelihood of heart attack, according to the study.
The results, published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, fall against a backdrop of growing cannabis use over the last two decades as states increasingly legalized marijuana for medicinal and recreational purposes.
Marijuana is now legal for medicinal use in 38 states, including Pennsylvania and New Jersey, and for recreational use in 24 states. New Jersey legalized recreational marijuana in 2021 and now has approximately 29 recreational dispensaries.
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro announced in February that he wants to legalize adult-use marijuana as a new source of revenue to fund schools, public transit and other efforts across the commonwealth.
The study, funded by a division of the National Institutes of Health, examined data from nearly 435,000 people – the largest study ever conducted that looked at the interplay of cannabis use and heart disease and stroke.
"This is an important public health finding, particularly given our ongoing efforts to reduce the burden of heart disease in this country," Dr. David C. Goff, director of the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute's Division of Cardiovascular Sciences, said in a press release.
The study did not explore the exact links between cannabis use and heart disease.
"In addition to toxins, endocannabinoid receptors — the part of cells responsible for recognizing tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main psychoactive ingredient in cannabis — are widespread in the body's cardiovascular tissues and might facilitate heart risks," the press release read.
