Study Reportedly Finds Marijuana Raises the Risk of Stroke and Heart Issues

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in America. Around 700,000 people die of heart disease in the United States every year. Another 805,000 Americans die every year due to a heart attack.

Now, the American Heart Association has released two new studies that reveal regular use of marijuana causes negative impacts on the heart and brain. The AHA (American Heart Association) presented two new studies at the 2023 Scientific Sessions in Philadelphia.

First Study

The first study showed an increase in risk of heart failure, heart attack, or stroke for those who regularly use marijuana. A group of 156,999 individuals who did not have any signs of heart failure were examined in the first study. This study of the participant’s risk of heart problems due to smoking marijuana was not impacted by age, sex, or smoking history. These participants were followed for 45 months, almost four years. During this study, among the participants, 2 percent developed heart failure. Participants who used marijuana daily had a 34 percent increase in risk of heart failure compared to participants who never used marijuana.

Second Study

The second study discovered older people with any combination of the following Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, or high cholesterol who use marijuana are at greater risk for major negative impacts on the heart or brain. In this study, 28,535 people who regularly use marijuana were examined with existing cardiovascular risk factors such as high blood pressure, Type 2 diabetes, or high cholesterol. This data was taken from the 2019 National Inpatient Sample. The record was focused on adults older than age 65 with cardiovascular risk factors with no tobacco use reported. The results of the study showed that 20 percent had an increased chance of heart or brain “event” while hospitalized.

Marijuana Use in the United States

Marijuana has been the most commonly used illegal drug in the United States. An estimated 48.2 million, or 18 percent of Americans used marijuana in 2019. Many regular users have protested the drug be made legal to use. Many states in the last 10 years have done so, most recently Minnesota legalizing marijuana this past June 2023. So far, twenty-three out of the fifty states have made marijuana legal including Washington D.C and Guam.

Some, however, have found benefits of marijuana for medical reasons. Many doctors say it helps cope with anxiety and pain. Medical professionals also have discovered marijuana helps with seizures, according to Health Magazine.

This new study may shed a new view on the use of marijuana due to the increased risk of heart issues. 

What do you think about this?