05/09/2025
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New landmark research suggests that cannabis use may significantly elevate the risk of serious heart and vascular events, including a potential doubling in cardiovascular death rates. These findings come from a pooled analysis (meta-analysis) of real-world data published in the eminent BMJ journal Heart.
Cannabis use was associated with twice the risk of dying from cardiovascular disease, along with significantly increased risks of stroke (20%) and acute coronary syndrome (29%), which is a sudden reduction or blockage of blood flow to the heart, including a heart attack.
In a related editorial, the authors argue that cannabis should be regulated like to***co: not criminalised, but actively discouraged, with measures in place to protect others from second-hand smoke exposure.
Although earlier studies had linked cannabis use to cardiovascular issues, the exact level of risk has remained unclear. This uncertainty is especially important given recent increases in cannabis use and the growing potency of available products, the researchers noted.
To provide more clarity, the investigators searched scientific databases for large observational studies published between January 2016 and December 2023. They focused on studies that examined cannabis use and major cardiovascular outcomes, including death from cardiovascular disease, heart attack, and stroke.
Out of 3,012 articles initially identified, 24 studies were selected for meta-analysis. These studies included data on approximately 200 million people and consisted of 17 cross-sectional studies, 6 cohort studies, and 1 case-control study. Study participants were mostly aged between 19 and 59. And in those studies where s*x was recorded, cannabis users tended to be mostly male and younger than non-users.
The researchers acknowledge that there was a moderate to high risk of bias in most of the included studies, largely because of lack of information on missing data and imprecise measures of cannabis exposure. And most of the included studies were observational, precluding the ability to draw causal inferences from the data. Several used the same data.
Notwithstanding these caveats, the researchers say that theirs is an exhaustive analysis of published data on the potential association between cannabis use and major cardiovascular disease and provides new insights from real-world data.
According to the authors, more research is clearly needed to clarify whether cardiovascular risks are limited to inhaled products or extend to other forms of cannabis exposure such as edibles.
“How these changes affect cardiovascular risk requires clarification, as does the proportion of risk attributable to cannabinoids themselves versus particulate matter, terpenes or other components of the exposure,” they say.
They conclude: “Cannabis needs to be incorporated into the framework for prevention of clinical cardiovascular disease. So too must cardiovascular disease prevention be incorporated into the regulation of cannabis markets. Effective product warnings and education on risks must be developed, required, and implemented.”
For more information see: https://scitechdaily.com/cannabis-use-doubles-risk-of-heart-death-landmark-study-finds/
