People who regularly use cannabis may be taking risks with their cardiovascular health, new research suggests.
Scientists at Tulane University studied nationally representative survey data and found that people who reported using cannabis were significantly more likely to also report having had cardiovascular disease, particularly stroke, than those who did not use cannabis. This study does not conclusively show that cannabis can cause cardiovascular problems, but it is the latest worrying data pointing in that direction.
A worrying link
Several studies have already established a link between cannabis use and cardiovascular disease, although this research is not entirely consistent. Since cannabis use has increased significantly in recent years, thanks to increasing legalization for recreational purposes, the researchers wanted to provide an updated picture of the situation.
To do this, they analyzed data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), a long-running annual survey of Americans’ health trends and habits run by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. They looked at BRFSS data collected between 2020 and 2024, which collectively included nearly half a million adult respondents.
Compared to non-users, people who regularly used cannabis, whether monthly or daily, were about 20% more likely to report a history of cardiovascular problems, the study found. This additional associated risk did not differ significantly between people who used cannabis occasionally (one to five days per month) and heavy cannabis users (16 to 30 days per month). Interestingly, however, the risk of stroke in particular was higher among less frequent cannabis users (40% higher) than among heavy users (25% higher). Researchers also did not see a clear link between the amount of reported cannabis use and a higher risk of reported heart attack.
The team’s findings were presented this weekend at the Scientific Sessions of the American Heart Association, the organization’s annual conference.
“We were surprised to find that the link between cannabis use and cardiovascular disease was not simple. We expected that the risks of heart disease would gradually increase as people used cannabis more often, but that was not the case. Both the low-use and high-use groups had higher risks of developing heart disease,” said study author Aabha Divya, assistant professor in the division of cardiothoracic surgery at the School of Medicine. Tulane University, in an AHA press release.
What to know about this potential risk
The team’s findings are preliminary, meaning they have not yet gone through the usual peer review process. And this research can only show a correlation between cannabis and cardiovascular disease, not definitive proof.
At the same time, several lines of evidence suggest that cannabis is not necessarily harmless to our hearts and blood vessels. Last month, for example, a study found that the increasing legalization of recreational cannabis in the United States was linked to higher rates of hospitalization for cardiovascular disease, including heart attacks.
There’s still a lot we don’t understand about this potential link, including whether the form of cannabis you consume is relevant. In this study, for example, it didn’t seem to matter whether people primarily consumed cannabis by smoking it or with edibles, and other studies have suggested that smoking or eating cannabis can negatively affect blood vessel function. However, regardless of the unknowns, researchers say people and their doctors should be aware of this link.
“As cannabis use becomes more common, it is increasingly important that people and their healthcare professionals include it in conversations about cardiovascular health, just as they discuss tobacco, alcohol and other commonly used substances,” Divya said.
Gn Health
