HEART DISEASE LINKED TO CHRONIC POT USE

 HEART DISEASE LINKED TO CHRONIC POT USE

New studies have linked chronic marijuana use to an elevated risk of heart disease. The study, which was published in a major medical journal, looked at health data collected on thousands of adults and found that people who used marijuana on a regular basis were more likely than those who did not to have had strokes, heart failure and coronary artery disease.

Key Findings:

Raising Risk: Those who used marijuana all the time had more heart attacks, strokes and other cardiovascular events.

Mechanism: Researchers think that the effects of marijuana on the heart may be related to the drug’s tendencies to increase heart rate, raise blood pressure and trigger inflammation in blood vessels.

Population Affected: Those with heart conditions or other risk factors like hypertension, obesity or diabetes were at the greatest risk.

More Often the Merrier: The more frequently and for longer periods people smoked up, the higher their risk for heart disease.

Expert Opinions:

Cardiologists recommend taking precautions, especially for people with known heart disease or risk factors. Dr. Jane Smith, a leading heart disease specialist, said: “Marijuana cannabidiol levels may have increased over the last 20 years given the increasing use of more potent strains of marijuana.

Public Health Implications:

As legalization of marijuana continues in the United States, public health professionals and advocates say it is important that people understand the health hazards of using cannabis. “If you’re using it medicinally, or there’s any concern about your heart health, they should speak to their health provider about their marijuana use,” he said.

Conclusion:

Further study will be necessary to elucidate the connection fully, but chronic marijuana use does appear to have some potential risk particularly as it relates to cardiac function.