When compared to those who do not use cannabis, daily cannabis users have a 25% greater risk of a heart attack. The authors noted that, “Cannabis has a strong, statistically significant associations with adverse cardiovascular outcomes…”
Published in the Journal of the American Heart Association (JAHA / 02-28-24), “Association of Cannabis Use With Cardiovascular Outcomes Among US Adults” (Jeffers, A. et.al.) had some alarming public health findings. The authors examined data from 2016 – 2020, involving 434,104 individuals, cannabis users and non-users, to determine if there exists an association between cannabis use and adverse cardiovascular events (i.e., heart attacks, coronary disease, and strokes) in adults ages 18 to 74 years. They found that those who use cannabis daily or near daily had increased cardiovascular risks when compared to “non-daily” cannabis users and those with no cannabis use history.
With the known increases in health risks associated to cannabis and the trend of decreasing public perception of risks from cannabis, individuals, policy makers and law makers need to be aware of the potential risks of cannabis use.