Marijuana use in any form linked to higher risk of heart attack or stroke

A new study recently published in the Journal of the American Heart Association indicates that smoking, vaping or eating marijuana is linked to a significantly higher risk of heart attack or stroke, even if the person had no existing heart conditions and did not smoke or vape tobacco.

The study also found that while both daily and non-daily users had an increased risk of heart attack and stroke compared to nonusers, stroke risk rose 42% and the risk of heart attack rose 25% if cannabis was used daily. The risk climbed as the number of days of marijuana use rose.

According to the lead author of the study Abra Jeffers, a data analyst at Massachusetts General Hospital, “Cannabis smoke is not all that different from tobacco smoke, except for the psychoactive drug: THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) vs. nicotine.” In a statement reported by CNN, Jeffers went on to say, “Our study shows that smoking cannabis has significant cardiovascular risk, just like smoking tobacco. This is particularly important because cannabis use is increasing while conventional tobacco use is decreasing,”

The CNN report also quoted Robert Page II, a professor of clinical pharmacy and physical medicine at the University of Colorado Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences in Aurora, Colorado. Page said, “The study’s findings mirror other research that has found daily use of marijuana is linked to an increase in coronary heart disease, heart attack and stroke”.