August 10, 2017
There’s some bad news for marijuana users who like to blaze recreationally, as a recent study from Georgia State University has linked smoking pot to cardiovascular problems, including a greater risk of hypertension, which can be deadly.
Though the long-term health effects of marijuana use are still contested among many health professionals, the George State study yielded one clear conclusion: regular marijuana users are reportedly three times more likely to die by hypertension – or high blood pressure – than non-marijuana users.
The study observed 1,200 participants over 20 years, finding that subjects who reported using marijuana were more at risk. Additionally, the risk was shown to increase by four percent for every year of recreational marijuana usage.
The culprit of this increased risk, study authors say, is tetrahydrocannabinol, an active component in weed. A lot of the study’s takeaways also reflect already-established heart-related health risks linked to cigarette smoking.
The study is not without its holes, however.
Though researchers surveyed participants to see who did or didn’t use the drug, the subjects were not tested throughout the course of study for confirmation. Additionally, the study only observed smokers who use marijuana recreationally and didn’t take into account strains used for medical purposes.
Researchers did emphasize, however, that their study was not “disputing the possible medicinal benefits of standardized cannabis formulations.”
Check out the full report here.
