Using marijuana every day increases a person's risk of developing heart disease, a new study has found. The researchers analysed data on how often 175,000 people used cannabis and their rates of heart disease. They found a causal link between daily use and increased risk of heart condition over several years.
"A growing body of evidence suggests that cannabis is not entirely without harm and may actually cause cardiovascular disease," said lead study author Dr Ishan Paranjpe, a resident physician at Stanford University, as per CNN.
"This, the decision to use cannabis must be carefully weighed against the potential for serious heart disease," Dr Paranjpe added.
The study, which is yet to be published, showed that daily cannabis users were 34 percent more likely to have coronary artery disease - the most common form of heart disease - compared to those who never used the drug. It also found that people who used weed only once a month or less had no significant risk.
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The results of the study were held true even after researchers factored out other potential causes of coronary heart disease, such as age, sex and major cardiovascular risk factors - high blood pressure, high cholesterol, type 2 diabetes, obesity, smoking and alcohol use.
However, the new study was not able to tease out whether different types of cannabis use - such as consuming edibles versus smoking weed - made a difference in a person's risk of developing CAD. But, since THC gets to the brain faster when smokes, the researchers argue future research should investigate various usage methods and their impact on the heart. The latest findings will be presented at a cardiology conference in March.
Meanwhile, according to South China Morning Post, previous studies have suggested that cannabis smokers, especially younger people, may have an elevated risk of suffering strokes or other ailments. But cannabis use is on the rise in many parts of the world because of its ability to relieve chronic pain and help with conditions like chemotherapy-induced nausea.
"In terms of the public health message, it shows that there are probably certain harms of cannabis use that weren't recognised before, and people should take that into account," said Dr Paranjpe.
