Weed Use Linked to Increased Risk of Heart Attack
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A study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal found that young adults who smoke weed regularly are more likely to have a heart attack than people who do not use cannabis.
After looking at data from 33,000 people between 18 and 44 years old, the scientists determined that smoking pot poses a risk to young people who aren’t typically at risk of a heart attack because of their age.
For their study, the researchers collected data from surveys between 2017 and 2018 from the American Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, which holds data on marijuana use and other lifestyle factors from 33,173 adults in the United States. Of the 18% who reported recent weed use, most said they ingested the plant at least four times a month.
They discovered that myocardial infarctions happened in 1.3% of people who used cannabis recently, as only 0.8% of young adults who hadn’t consumed pot had heart attacks.
The study researchers said that marijuana users were also more likely to drink alcohol and smoke cigarettes regularly, which could contribute to their risk of a heart attack. Although, the researcher’s results hold strong even after changing these perplexing factors.
Generally, edible weed has fewer health risks than smoking. Yet, the science says this theory may be flawed as they single out a case study involving a heart attack triggered by a weed lollipop containing a high amount of THC.
However, as this data suggested a higher risk of myocardial infarction after using all forms of weed ingestion, the effects were only statistically noteworthy about smoking.
Additionally, the connection between heart attack and cannabis risk was much weaker in people who reported using weed less than four times per month, implying that the dangers of cannabis might be in just the regular users.
While their study looked at the correlation between myocardial infarctions and cannabis use, it didn’t look to figure out a causal relationship between the two or uncover the biological means that underlie this risk. Therefore, scientists cannot say how weed harms cardiovascular health.
However, researchers think that “marijuana exposure might contribute to a disparity between myocardial oxygen supply and demand,” which could trigger a heart attack.
